When Wen Ci returned home, she was carrying a bouquet of lily of the valley.
Zhou Wu had said that the previous flowers had been there long enough and ought to be replaced.
Mother Wen stopped her, expressed dissatisfaction with the message Wen Ci had sent earlier, and asked what she thought of the blind-date candidate.
It seemed Zuo Cheng was a decent person after all. He had not complained to the matchmaker.
“I don’t have any thoughts about him,” Wen Ci said. “I’m not going on blind dates. If you arrange one without asking me again, I’ll turn around and leave.”
“I’m going upstairs. Goodnight, Mum.”
She went upstairs while Mother Wen launched into a speech about how disappointed she was.
After closing her bedroom door, Wen Ci remained completely unaffected.
She took the lily of the valley from her bag and carefully arranged it inside a new vase.
The flowers were exceptionally fresh.
It was not even their flowering season, so she had no idea where Zhou Wu had found them.
In the bathroom, Wen Ci stood beneath the shower with her face covered, silently reliving what had happened.
She had almost become the casual one earlier.
Just as she was about to move closer, several pedestrians appeared—a noisy group of primary-school students walking together.
Startled, Wen Ci had immediately shifted far away.
Unfortunately, primary-school students had excellent eyesight.
They had noticed the movement from a distance and shouted as they passed,
“Shame on you! Kissing in public!”
Zhou Wu remained in the same position and replied coldly,
“Thanks to all of you, we didn’t manage to kiss.”
Wen Ci:
“…”
After her shower, Wen Ci lay on her side hugging a pillow and thought—
She really, really wanted to kiss Zhou Wu…
It had been such a long, long, long time since they last kissed.
After their previous video call ended, Wen Ci had been unable to resist asking Dou Yiqing late at night:
*How long do you think I should observe Zhou Wu?*
Dou Yiqing had replied:
*At least a month?*
Wen Ci had agreed, then secretly reduced it by half a month.
She raised her phone and opened the countdown on her calendar.
It displayed:
**10 days until accepting Zhou Wu.**
There were still ten days left?
Wen Ci blinked, wondering whether she should shorten it by the tiniest bit more.
A WeChat message appeared from Dou Yiqing.
After working late for an entire week, Dou Yiqing had finally finished preparing lessons and class-planning documents. Temporarily freed from her suffering, she asked whether Wen Ci was available on Thursday to accompany her to a limited-time event at an amusement park on Xianghan Road.
Zhou Wu had work the following day and needed to fly out of the city.
The next day they had arranged to meet was also Thursday.
Wen Ci did not want to cancel on either of them, so she typed:
**Wen Ci: Yiqing, can I bring someone else?**
**Yiqing: Just ask whether you can bring Zhou Wu.**
**Yiqing: You can. We’ll be staying until evening, so having another man there will be safer. But the place is extremely… exciting. Are you sure?**
**Wen Ci: Huh? How exciting?**
**Yiqing: Forget it. For you, it won’t feel exciting whether Zhou Wu goes or not. Hahahaha. See you Thursday. [Love you]**
…
Naturally, Zhou Wu agreed.
So on Thursday, close to evening, the four of them met on Xianghan Road—
“Why are you here too?!”
Dou Yiqing stared in disbelief at the additional person.
“Heh. I went to Zhou Wu’s home and happened to catch him leaving.”
Qin Yun sneered.
“Dou Yiqing, you’re incredible. You went out for fun without inviting me. You even f*cking invited Zhou Wu!”
“Wen Ci invited Zhou Wu—”
“Don’t explain.”
Qin Yun placed a hand between them.
“I’ve already reported you to the police for abandoning me after taking advantage of me. Prepare to go to prison.”
Dou Yiqing slapped his hand away.
Wen Ci stood nearby and waited for them to finish arguing.
Something brushed her arm.
Zhou Wu lowered his eyes towards her.
“Why aren’t you wearing my clothes?”
Wen Ci explained, “Yiqing said it was an amusement park. I was worried something too loose would be inconvenient.”
“Could you two acknowledge that we exist?”
Dou Yiqing grabbed Qin Yun’s clothes.
“Come on. It’s only a short walk. We’ll be there after turning the corner.”
The amusement park had been built on Xianghan Road, in a remote suburb beside a lake.
When they arrived, Wen Ci looked up at the deliberately dilapidated and sinister entrance.
Four enormous characters were written above it:
**HORROR PARK**
Beneath them was a smaller line:
**Experience the most authentic Chinese horror!**
Wen Ci:
“…”
So this was what Dou Yiqing had meant by exciting?
Other amusement parks usually held mildly frightening events during Halloween.
This one had chosen a much more unconventional approach by holding its event during the Ghost Festival and focusing entirely on Chinese horror, without the slightest concern for taboos.
Because of that, there were no elderly visitors or children.
There were only fearless young people.
The atmosphere was incredible.
Some visitors had even dressed as various ghosts and monsters themselves.
The event had completely taken over Dou Yiqing’s social media feeds lately.
Although this was the final day, the amusement park was still packed.
Ordinary visitors walked beside cosplayers, creating a strangely peaceful and harmonious scene.
“Dou Yiqing, are you insane?!”
Qin Yun tightly gripped the hem of Dou Yiqing’s clothes as he followed her past various stalls.
Every vendor wore strange costumes, while the stalls had names such as **Water from the River of Forgetfulness** or **Bursting Eyeball Milk Tea**.
“You came to a place like this? Aren’t you afraid a real one might be mixed in among them?”
“You can leave if you’re frightened. No one invited you.”
Although Dou Yiqing said that, she did not shake him off.
Zhou Wu glanced at the person beside him.
Wen Ci had shrunk her neck in fear, yet curiosity kept making her look around.
Half her body unconsciously pressed tightly against his.
As always, she was frightened but still desperate to participate.
None of them had a habit of eating street food, so after enjoying the atmosphere, they left the night-market area.
Outside, the main road through the centre of the amusement park had been cordoned off and cleared.
Visitors crowded both sides.
Dou Yiqing checked the time excitedly, hooked her arm through Wen Ci’s and pulled her towards the crowd.
“It’s time for the parade! Hurry, Wen Ci. Let’s squeeze into the front!”
Wen Ci had no idea what kind of parade it was, but seeing Dou Yiqing so excited made her excited too.
“All right!”
Zhou Wu was about to follow when Dou Yiqing abruptly turned and made a stopping gesture towards the two men.
“Well… You two can wait here for us. We’ll be back soon.”
As Wen Ci was pulled into the crowd, she turned to look at Zhou Wu.
He quickly disappeared from view.
Wen Ci was thin, and Dou Yiqing was agile.
By weaving through every small gap, she genuinely managed to bring Wen Ci all the way to the front row.
Pressed among the crowd, Wen Ci turned and asked,
“What kind of parade is it? It won’t be ghosts, will it?”
“Of course it’s ghosts!” Dou Yiqing laughed.
“…”
Without Zhou Wu beside her, Wen Ci felt much less secure.
They were also standing in the very front row.
She was beginning to want to leave, but before she could say anything, the sound of suona horns began.
The parade’s NPCs approached in a grand procession from the distance.
It was dark, and they were far away.
Before Wen Ci could clearly see what kinds of ghosts they were portraying, she first noticed their pectoral muscles, abdominal muscles and biceps.
Wen Ci:
“…”
When they came closer, she saw that the group was dressed as Black Impermanence, White Impermanence and underworld judges.
They wore terrifying masks, but none wore shirts.
Every one of them displayed a strong, muscular male body.
“How is it?!”
Amid the screams erupting around them, Dou Yiqing tightly gripped Wen Ci’s hand and shook it excitedly.
“Exciting, right?!”
It was Wen Ci’s first time witnessing such a scene.
She stared in shock.
“…So this is what you meant by exciting?”
“What else? Did you think we genuinely came to see ghosts?”
As the NPCs moved closer, Dou Yiqing laughed.
“Quick, Wen Ci! Hold out your hand!”
Wen Ci was about to ask why when she saw an NPC catch a female visitor’s outstretched hand.
He pressed it against his face, rubbed against it and then guided her hand downwards over his muscles.
Once again, Wen Ci broadened her horizons.
While she remained stunned, an NPC wearing the mask of Black Impermanence passed in front of them.
Wen Ci met his gaze through the mask.
She felt awkward looking at another person’s half-naked body and was about to turn away when the NPC suddenly approached her.
Many women nearby were holding their hands out towards him.
Yet he walked directly towards Wen Ci and extended his hand.
“…”
Wen Ci froze.
The NPC laughed.
“Hold out your hand, big sister.”
Wen Ci intended to wave him away.
The moment she raised her arm, a low voice sounded above her head.
“Try touching him.”
“…”
Wen Ci leaned backwards and looked up.
She met Zhou Wu’s eyes.
They were dark and heavy, carrying an unreadable emotion.
For an instant, Wen Ci felt the guilt of a cheating wife being caught by her husband.
She quickly lowered her arm and explained,
“I wasn’t—”
“Little brother, little brother!”
Black Impermanence had already changed targets.
He caught Dou Yiqing’s hand and pressed it to his cheek.
Dou Yiqing screamed.
“Not your face, little brother! Big sister wants to touch your abs!”
“Of course, big sister.”
“Of course, my ass!”
Qin Yun had just forced his way through the crowd.
He cursed loudly.
“Dou Yiqing! Are you a f*cking female pervert?”
Black Impermanence asked, “Big sister, is he your boyfriend?”
“Of course not!”
Dou Yiqing said, “Little brother, call your colleague White Impermanence over too.”
“Of course, big sister.”
“Dou Yiqing, I—&%*&…!!”
Wen Ci turned, grabbed Zhou Wu’s clothes and quietly negotiated,
“Can we go outside?”
Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow and replied lazily,
“Oh? Big sister doesn’t want to watch anymore?”
“…………”
Hearing him call her *big sister* made Wen Ci’s face burn.
“N-no. I don’t want to watch.”
…
To prevent a stampede, the parade lasted only around ten minutes.
After the crowd dispersed, Dou Yiqing still looked unsatisfied.
“Why did today have to be the final day? Work ruined everything for me.”
“Dou Yiqing, it’s fortunate you’re poor.”
Qin Yun said, “Otherwise, you would’ve been imprisoned for soliciting prostitutes by now.”
Ignoring his sarcasm, Dou Yiqing opened a visitor’s guide saved in her app.
“It’s already late, so let’s skip the pirate ship and drop tower. I have a headache.”
“Shall we go directly to the park’s signature attraction?”
No one objected.
As they walked, Qin Yun and Dou Yiqing argued noisily ahead.
Wen Ci held both hands together in front of herself and glanced sideways at Zhou Wu.
His hands were in his pockets.
Without an expression, his features appeared cold.
Wen Ci sighed and quietly explained,
“I genuinely wasn’t going to touch him. I didn’t touch anyone else either.”
Zhou Wu hummed.
“I didn’t know there would be that kind of… attraction.”
“I know.”
Zhou Wu glanced sideways at her, his tone slow and unhurried as though he genuinely did not care.
“I can even tolerate you going on blind dates with other people. Touching someone briefly is nothing.”
“…”
Wen Ci was wondering whether it would seem strange to bring Yiqing over as a witness when Dou Yiqing suddenly announced,
“We’re here!”
The gloomy red-brick house before them cooperatively released several screams from unknown visitors.
A sign beside it read:
**Old House in the Mountain Village — Elderly Visitors and Those with Heart Conditions Must Not Enter**
Qin Yun took a deep breath.
“Dou Yiqing, you get terrified just watching horror films. Why are you copying other people and entering a haunted house?”
“I want to. If you’re scared, wait outside, coward.”
Qin Yun raised a hand towards the ticket seller.
“Hello. We’d like tickets.”
Feeling Wen Ci shrink closer to him again, Zhou Wu looked at her.
“Are you frightened?”
“Mm.”
Wen Ci nodded.
“But I also want to try it a little.”
Zhou Wu had expected that.
She was always like this.
Her courage existed in a state of quantum uncertainty.
She was afraid of everything yet wanted to try everything—a timid adventurer.
“Then try it.”
The haunted house limited the number of visitors allowed inside.
They waited at the entrance while another group escaped screaming from the exit on the right.
A staff member opened the wooden door with a creak and smiled eerily.
“Please enter. If you encounter anything unclean inside, remember to hide somewhere marked with talismans.”
The haunted house was decorated like an ordinary rural self-built home.
It had four floors and a courtyard.
It looked as though no one had lived there for years.
Everything was dark and covered in cobwebs.
The ground floor contained a mourning hall filled with coffins and black-and-white portraits.
The air conditioning was extremely cold.
Speakers somewhere produced the sound of howling wind, accompanied by faint weeping.
It was too dark.
Apart from the lights near the mourning hall, the area around them was almost entirely black.
Zhou Wu removed one arm from his pocket and offered it to Wen Ci.
He had intended for her to hold it and calm her fear.
Instead, five slender fingers caught his hand.
Wen Ci’s fingers were slightly cold.
Her voice was quiet.
“Zhou Wu, d-don’t be frightened.”
Zhou Wu laughed silently in the darkness.
“Mm,” he answered neutrally.
They were constantly worried that someone would jump from the coffins.
The four crossed the courtyard cautiously and only relaxed slightly after entering the building.
“That was nothing.”
Qin Yun said, “I thought it would be terrifying. It’s much worse than the haunted house I visited before.”
“Pay me 7,680 yuan when we leave,” Dou Yiqing said. “You’ve torn my top by gripping it.”
“It isn’t that I can’t afford it. Why does this piece of rubbish cost 7,680?”
Qin Yun said, “I’d report you for extortion even if it cost eighty.”
“The remainder is compensation for emotional distress.”
The room was completely dark and was hardly a suitable place to argue.
Wen Ci softly interrupted them.
“Where are we supposed to go next? I can’t see anything.”
“Look for a light switch,” Zhou Wu said.
“Can you help me find something? I’ve lost it.”
Wen Ci answered, “Of course. What did you lose?”
“I’ve lost something.”
Dou Yiqing asked impatiently, “That’s why we’re asking what you want us to find.”
Qin Yun asked, “Who’s looking for something?”
“Not me,” Zhou Wu said.
“…”
The four remained silent for two seconds.
Before Wen Ci could understand, someone tapped her shoulder.
“Can you help me find something?”
Hair brushed her neck.
A woman’s emotionless voice sounded beside her ear.
“My left eye is missing.”
Wen Ci:
“…”
…
The three people other than Zhou Wu screamed simultaneously.
Someone caught Wen Ci’s hand.
“Run,” Zhou Wu said.
Wen Ci had never run this quickly, even during high-school PE examinations.
Following the floor lights, they sprinted all the way to the second floor.
Zhou Wu opened a wardrobe marked with talismans, lifted Wen Ci inside and immediately followed.
Before the eyeless female ghost could reach them, they closed the doors together.
The wardrobe had been designed to be spacious.
Even someone as tall as Zhou Wu could sit inside with his legs bent.
They sat shoulder to shoulder.
The doors had deliberately not been sealed completely, leaving a narrow gap.
Wen Ci watched the female ghost scratch and scream at the doors.
She hugged her knees inside and did not dare breathe loudly.
Only after the ghost finally left did Wen Ci release a breath.
She turned around.
Fear and excitement nearly overflowed from her eyes.
The corners of her lips unconsciously rose, and she whispered in a breathy voice, afraid of being discovered,
“That nearly frightened me to death.”
“Mm.”
Zhou Wu was not even breathing heavily.
“Me too.”
When there was no longer any movement outside, Wen Ci craned her neck and boldly looked through the gap.
“She seems to be gone. Should we leave?”
“Let’s sit a little longer.”
Zhou Wu’s voice was lazy.
“I’m still slightly frightened.”
“All right.”
Wen Ci did not doubt him and leaned back.
Qin Yun’s screams faintly sounded from downstairs.
They could not hear what he was saying, only that every sentence seemed to contain Dou Yiqing’s name three times.
Wen Ci laughed.
“They seem to still be downstairs. Do you think Yiqing will pay the staff for a copy of the security footage after we leave—”
“Teacher Wen,” Zhou Wu interrupted.
“Mm?”
“Your hand.”
Wen Ci assumed he was frightened and wanted to hold hands.
She opened her palm towards him.
Instead, Zhou Wu caught her wrist.
Before Wen Ci could react, he guided her hand through the darkness.
The back of her hand brushed across the fabric of Zhou Wu’s T-shirt, and her palm pressed against warm skin.
When they had slept together before, keeping her eyes open had already counted as bravery for Wen Ci.
She certainly had not dared touch Zhou Wu.
She only occasionally brushed against him by accident when they changed positions.
But she loved looking.
Zhou Wu’s body was genuinely beautiful.
His muscles were not exaggerated.
They were lean yet powerful.
Without her sight, every other sensation became clearer.
The smooth, firm muscles beneath her palm rose and fell slightly with his breathing.
Zhou Wu held her wrist.
Each time he moved her hand, Wen Ci’s heartbeat accelerated.
“Which feels better, mine or theirs, big sister?”
Zhou Wu asked lazily.
He was clearly older than her.
Heat spread from Wen Ci’s neck to the tips of her ears.
She secretly swallowed and clarified once again,
“I didn’t touch anyone else. I’ve only touched you.”
As she spoke, she could not resist turning towards Zhou Wu.
A beam of faint light entered through the wardrobe gap and fell across his eyes.
They were pure black yet reflected the light.
His gaze towards her was cold and intimate at once.
After staring at him for two seconds, Wen Ci added,
“Really.”
Zhou Wu laughed and released her hand.
“Got it.”
But Wen Ci did not withdraw her hand.
Her fingertips were cold.
Staring straight ahead, she silently pressed twice.
Perhaps because he had been running, the muscles were slightly firm.
They felt extremely good.
She was about to check whether every section felt the same when Zhou Wu slowly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.
“Teacher Wen, that’s enough.”
“Touching me like this before we’ve confirmed our relationship is inappropriate.”
“I’m not such a casual—”
“I am.”
With a red face, Wen Ci finally said the words she had held back last time.
Zhou Wu:
“…”
Inside the haunted house’s surveillance room, the main controller shouted into the radio,
“Someone go upstairs! Hurry to the wardrobe on the second floor!”
“If you don’t go now, the guests’ child will be a month old before they leave—two people aren’t enough! Two aren’t enough!”
“Send five! Send five people!!”
…
They had clearly been told that hiding somewhere marked by talismans would keep them safe.
When Wen Ci saw people charge over, she quickly withdrew her hand.
Before she could protest, an NPC tore the talisman from the wardrobe.
The doors were violently pulled open—
The two began running again.
Wen Ci had laughed at Qin Yun earlier.
Now she had become Qin Yun.
After running for a while, she genuinely could not continue.
Because it was too dark, she struck her leg against the corner of a table and nearly fell.
Wen Ci thought, *Forget it. Let them catch me.*
The NPCs were real people.
What was there to fear about people?
She had only just finished reassuring herself when her feet suddenly left the ground.
Zhou Wu lifted her with one arm, adjusted her weight and said,
“Hold on properly.”
Wen Ci had not expected Zhou Wu to carry her all the way out of the haunted house.
A group of university students stood near the exit.
When they saw the two emerge like that, they began whistling like monkeys.
When Wen Ci’s feet returned to the ground, her heart was still pounding.
She bent slightly at the waist.
Although she had not run, she had screamed for so long that she was breathing more heavily than Zhou Wu.
Afraid she might fall, Zhou Wu held one of her hands and glanced at his watch.
“Can you still walk?” he asked. “If not, I’ll carry you.”
“I can walk. Just support me a little…”
Wen Ci stared blankly.
“But where are we going? Aren’t we waiting for Yiqing and the others?”
Without the slightest loyalty, Zhou Wu hummed.
“Let’s go.”
He led Wen Ci out of the amusement park.
Near where they had parked was a grassy slope facing the lake.
The two sat on a stone bench beside the grass, both still slightly exhilarated from the haunted house.
After some thought, Wen Ci took out her phone and prepared to message Dou Yiqing, telling her that she and Zhou Wu had already left.
“Wen Ci.”
Zhou Wu lowered his phone and suddenly called her.
“Mm?”
“Look up.”
Wen Ci raised her head.
Before her was a silent lake that almost blended into the night.
The moon hung high above.
There were hardly any stars again tonight.
“What—”
Wen Ci never finished the sentence.
Countless streaks of light curved upwards through the night.
With a loud explosion, brilliant sparks blossomed like flowers.
One after another, they continuously illuminated the entire sky and the lifeless lake below.
A moment earlier, Wen Ci had been regretting that there were no stars tonight.
Now fireworks bloomed, shattered and scattered into countless stars across the sky.
Wen Ci looked up in delight.
“There’s a fireworks show too? Why didn’t Yiqing tell me?”
“I wonder whether they can see it.”
“Do you like it?” Zhou Wu asked.
“I do—”
After answering, Wen Ci sensed something was wrong.
She blinked twice at the fireworks.
After a long while, she turned towards him in disbelief.
“…Did you arrange this?”
Zhou Wu’s face shifted between light and darkness beneath the fireworks.
He lowered his eyes towards her.
Those shattered stars seemed to have fallen into his gaze, quiet yet intense.
“Mm.”
He smiled.
“Teacher Wen, these are today’s flowers.”
“…”
“I originally wanted to take you somewhere else to see them, but Dou Yiqing invited you first.”
Zhou Wu continued, “Fortunately, fireworks are allowed in this area too.”
“…”
Zhou Wu leaned back against the bench, his legs spread casually.
He chatted with her as though discussing something ordinary.
“When I carried you during the high-school sports day, I wondered how anyone could be so light.”
“It was ridiculous. I wondered whether your family was abusing you.”
“What about now?”
Wen Ci stared at him without blinking.
“…I’ve gained some weight since then, haven’t I?”
“Now, I think…”
Zhou Wu tilted his chin upwards slightly, his voice lazy.
“I’ve finally managed to hold you.”
“…”
“It’s been quite a long time since I last did.”
“…”
The person beside him remained silent, but Zhou Wu did not mind.
As though suddenly remembering something, he added,
“I was too nervous when I confessed before. I forgot the most important thing.”
His voice remained as calm as ever.
Only his gaze towards her and the faint redness of his ears exposed his inner unrest.
“Wen Ci, I like you.”
Zhou Wu smiled.
“I like you very much.”
Many passers-by had stopped to watch the fireworks.
Some were also looking at them.
Zhou Wu did not care.
He confessed openly.
Wen Ci only stared directly at him in silence.
She showed little reaction and said nothing.
From the corner of his eye, Zhou Wu noticed several people approaching behind her.
They were the university students who had howled like monkeys earlier.
They had clearly recognised them and were whispering among themselves.
Zhou Wu lazily thought that primary-school and university students were equally irritating.
Then Wen Ci suddenly spoke.
“…Zhou Wu, I know you aren’t a casual person.”
Zhou Wu paused.
“Mm?”
“So I’ll take responsibility.”
Wen Ci could also sense that passers-by were watching them.
But she no longer cared.
Her mind was completely filled with Zhou Wu and the fireworks.
Her heartbeat struck every inch of her skin.
She leaned closer and swallowed.
Then she asked with complete sincerity,
“Can I kiss you now?”
…
By the time Dou Yiqing and Qin Yun escaped from the haunted house, the night sky had already returned to silence.
She picked up her phone, intending to message Wen Ci, and discovered several unread messages.
**Wen Ci: Zhou Wu and I left first.**
**Wen Ci: Please cover for me with my mum.**
**Wen Ci: Thank you. Love you.**
Dou Yiqing had never seen Wen Ci send such hurried and casual messages in her life.
It was obvious that she had already been completely dazzled and seduced at the time.
Dou Yiqing began typing:
**Um, I just want to remind you to think carefully and observe him slowly…**
Delete.
**Even if you don’t think for a full month, it should at least be half a month, right?**
Delete.
**It hasn’t even been ten days—**
Delete.
Finally:
**Dou Yiqing: School is starting soon. Don’t create additional problems. Remember to use protection.**
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