It was nearing evening.
On a picnic table in the family park, there were two plates of snacks bought from the shop next door.
Nan Xiaofeng was excitedly describing the activities they played today, while Hua Ling sat calmly beside her, nibbling on snacks.
"Let's go out and eat something delicious later, Xiaofeng, what do you want to eat?" Nan Jiayu asked.
"I want grilled fish! And... and spicy and sour noodles! I want egg tarts too!"
The two sisters pulled out their phones and began a lively discussion about what to eat for dinner. Su Tianqing nibbled on dried pork, her gaze falling on Hua Ling.
It was hard on the child, accompanying Nan Xiaofeng playing wildly all day.
But she didn't seem as excited as Nan Xiaofeng. Did she not like crowded amusement parks?
"Hua Ling, student."
"Ah... Tianqing Jie..."
Hua Ling was startled for a moment, then responded politely.
"Did you have fun today?"
"Mm-hmm, I haven't been to an amusement park in a long time, so I had a lot of fun today."
Hua Ling smiled lightly and nodded.
But Su Tianqing caught a hint of hesitation in her smile.
Being gazed at by the Golden Fox with a slight smile, Hua Ling felt as if she had been seen through. Her light smile quickly faded, her head gradually lowered, and she let out a soft sigh.
This sigh was not noticed by the two sisters beside her.
Su Tianqing quietly took out a notepad from her satchel, wrote a line of text, and gently pushed the note to Hua Ling.
On the paper was a line of delicate small characters, "Did something happen? Can you tell me?"
Hua Ling hesitated for a while, but still took the ballpoint pen Su Tianqing offered and wrote her answer.
"Yesterday, something happened after you left, Tianqing Jie. I feel so useless."
The handwriting was quite beautiful, not like the good handwriting a girl her age could produce.
Seeing Hua Ling's answer, and connecting it with the mission guidance given when she looked through the secret codex this morning, Su Tianqing could roughly guess some clues.
It seemed that her conversation with her yesterday played a crucial role. It looked like Hua Ling had started trying to transform, otherwise she wouldn't have said such words.
Although the transformation was not successful.
"Did you argue with Xiaofeng?"
"It wasn't an argument. I just feel very useless, unable to protect anyone."
"Why do you feel this way? Hua Ling, at your age, it should be me and Jia Yu protecting you."
Looking at Su Tianqing's delicate small handwriting on the note, the girl hesitated for a while, but ultimately did not write the truth on the paper.
Seeing her hesitation, the Golden Fox reached out, took the note back, and wrote two more lines.
"Hua Ling is already very amazing. When I was your age, I only dared to hide at home doing homework after school every day, and I didn't dare to go out at all."
"What exactly happened? Can you tell me?"
Hua Ling paused for a long time.
"Well... although I really want to tell Tianqing Jie, this is a secret between me and my friend, and my friend will be angry if I tell it."
You're so awkward, kid! Su Tianqing complained in her heart.
"Oh, I see. Have you had a good talk with your friend?"
"We've already talked, but I still feel..."
Just as Su Tianqing finished writing her reply, the two sisters next door, who were discussing dinner, had already reached a conclusion.
"Let's go eat grilled fish tonight! I know a super delicious grilled fish restaurant!"
"Hm? Okay."
Su Tianqing smiled and nodded, quickly stuffing the note into Hua Ling's arms. Both of them tacitly pretended that what had just happened didn't happen.
Having decided what to eat tonight, and having basically tried all the attractions in the amusement park, the four of them turned their attention to the Ferris wheel on the island in the middle of the lake.
"Let's end the day with the Ferris wheel, how about it?"
.
There were a few water birds perched on the bridge leading to the island in the middle of the lake. Seeing people approach, they immediately flapped their wings and flew away.
Nan Xiaofeng leaned over the railing and looked into the distance.
"Hua Ling, look, that's the roller coaster we rode! It looks quite spectacular from a distance."
"Yes, yes." Hua Ling nodded, not having very pleasant memories of the roller coaster.
Su Tianqing quietly moved to the other side of the bridge, leaned on the railing, pretending to watch the pirate ship in the distance, but in reality, she took out a small capsule from her pocket.
This was something she had prepared since noon—a Monster capsule made using a skill from the Xin Yue Magic Wand.
Whether she was in her transformed state or not, she could feel the presence of this capsule and control the actions of the Monster inside with her consciousness.
And to ensure nothing went wrong, she had stacked the Xin Yue Magic Wand's three daily Monster enhancement abilities twice, all stuffed into this capsule.
"—Plop."
The capsule fell into the water and disappeared.
Su Tianqing calmly stared at the ripples spreading across the lake, her mood unruffled.
The plan was steadily progressing.
The plan of using herself as bait had reached its final and most crucial step; from now on, not a single step could go wrong.
After carefully reviewing the action plan in her mind, Su Tianqing took a deep breath, turned to look at the three people who were teasing birds on the other side of the bridge, and said:
"Let's go, let's head to the Ferris wheel."
.
The Ferris wheel was lively.
The tourists' plans were surprisingly consistent: they all intended to end their day of fun with the Ferris wheel.
After all, the Ferris wheel is a gentle attraction, similar to a carousel. Unless one has acrophobia, it is absolutely a suitable amusement facility for children, adults, and the elderly alike.
Su Tianqing and Nan Jiayu were the first to enter a cabin. Nan Xiaofeng and the other, who were delayed by a trip to the restroom, entered a subsequent cabin.
As the Ferris wheel slowly ascended, Su Tianqing leaned by the window, looking at the gradually receding land, and said to Nan Jiayu, who was also enjoying the scenery:
"Jia Yu."
"Hmm?"
"This is my first time playing at an amusement park," Su Tianqing said.
"Ah?...Ah, so that's how it is..."
The Cat Girl was clearly stunned for a moment, then realized Su Tianqing's fluctuating financial situation, which was close to the poverty line, and shook her head helplessly.
"So, Tianqing, do you think the amusement park is fun?"
"Fun! Super fun!"
Fox Fox wagged her tail fiercely, nodding repeatedly.
Nan Jiayu smiled slightly.
"Is that so? It's good that you like it. If there's a chance in the future, let's go play in other places together," the Cat Girl said.
Su Tianqing turned her head to look at the petite Cat Girl in front of her, her eyes darted, and she suddenly sat back down from the window.
Then she leaned forward, resting her hands on her cheeks, and looked at Nan Jiayu with interest.
"In the future, will we go to more places to play together?" Su Tianqing asked softly.
"Definitely."
Nan Jiayu nodded,
"In summer, we'll go see the sea together, in winter we can go to Ice City to see the snow, in spring we'll go hiking and picnicking, and in autumn we can go to Lake City to see the maple leaves!"
"There are so many places we can go to play, and..."
As she spoke, their gazes met.
There weren't many words, but their eyes were enough to explain everything.
They were now at a height of twenty-five meters above the ground.
There were only two people in the cabin.
Su Tianqing looked directly at the Cat Girl in front of her and said softly:
"This is the Ferris wheel, and there are only two of us. No one will know if we speak our true feelings here."
"...!"
Looking at the Golden Fox with an expectant expression, Nan Jiayu was stunned for a long time, unsure how to answer.
The cabin was thirty meters from the ground.
The world was gradually moving away from them.
The Golden Fox leaned back against the seat, tilting her head slightly, her tail gently swaying beside her, maintaining a charming smile.
At this moment, the setting sun shone on her golden hair, radiating brilliant light.
Reason told Nan Jiayu that certain things were not realistic right now.
But she was so radiant, just sitting there obediently, without saying a word, like a serene angel.
The Ferris wheel's height gradually increased, the ground getting further and further away, but getting closer to the shining sunlight.
"Tianqing... I..."
The Cat Girl took two deep breaths, trying to dispel the faint gardenia scent from her nose and calm herself.
Then, mustering her courage, she leaned close to the Golden Fox's ear and whispered something.
Su Tianqing's eyes widened slightly, and the smile on her face grew even brighter.
"...I see, so that's what you think, Jia Yu."
"N-no, that's right!"
The Cat Girl stammered.
It's too early, still too early.
She couldn't give an answer right now.
"You don't have to tell me now, Jia Yu."
As if seeing through the other person's embarrassment, Su Tianqing said with a light laugh,
"Tell me when you're ready."
".........Okay."
No sooner had she spoken.
A low, terrifying sound came from outside the cabin, followed by the terrified screams of the crowd.
Nan Jiayu immediately reacted, turned and leaned against the window, looking down at the ground, her cat-like pupils suddenly constricting!
"What? Is that...!?"
Like everyone else on the ground, the phones in their pockets simultaneously emitted a piercing alarm sound.
【Monster Alert】
【Monster Alert】
【Monster detected at Rong City Amusement Park, please evacuate to the nearest shelter immediately!】
"Boom!!"
The Ferris wheel let out a thunderous roar, and the sudden shutdown of the generator immediately stopped the Ferris wheel from rotating!
The inertia caused Su Tianqing to lurch forward from her seat. Nan Jiayu quickly caught the bewildered Golden Fox steadily. Both fell to the cabin floor, wincing in pain and gasping for air.
—The cabin was thirty-eight meters from the ground.
It was exactly at the very top of the Ferris wheel.