34: Feelings warm up

After playing for about ten more minutes, the "little dinosaurs" were "full," and the staff came over to collect the basins.

The group discussed what they should play next.

"Let's go, let's go! Time for something thrilling!"

Zhang Xueya could no longer hold back; she pointed at the Giant Pendulum not far away, her eyes sparkling.

The Giant Pendulum in the distance was currently swinging high, sweeping back and forth across the sky, accompanied by bursts of piercing screams. Just watching it from afar made one's legs weak.

"This... looks a little scary."

Song Qinghan subconsciously hugged her arms, feeling a bit intimidated.

"I can handle it."

Liu Zhuoyun spoke softly.

She looked up at the Giant Pendulum, and there was actually a hint of excitement in her eyes.

"Zhuoyun, are you sure? This is much more intense than that Roller Coaster we just rode."

Jiang Yuan was slightly surprised.

"Mhm."

Liu Zhuoyun nodded, "I want to try it."

Her tone was very calm when she spoke, but the slight upturn of her lips betrayed her anticipation.

Thanks to the VIP channel, the group barely had to queue and were immediately seated on the Giant Pendulum.

Zhang Xueya sat on one side, while Song Qinghan and Shen Lingke huddled together, looking nervous.

Liu Zhuoyun, however, naturally sat beside Jiang Yuan, pulled down the safety bar, and looked completely relaxed.

"Are you nervous?"

Jiang Yuan turned his head and asked as the Giant Pendulum slowly started moving.

"Not really."

Liu Zhuoyun smiled instead. "I'm just a little excited."

The next second, the Giant Pendulum suddenly accelerated, and the entire row of seats was instantly flung into the air.

A sense of weightlessness surged over them, accompanied by the whistling wind and continuous screams.

"Ah—!!!"

Zhang Xueya's scream was the loudest, almost setting the mood for the entire park.

Song Qinghan and Shen Lingke also screamed non-stop, their fingers gripping the safety bar tightly.

Jiang Yuan remained relatively calm. As his body was pulled backward, he subconsciously tightened his core.

He looked down at Liu Zhuoyun beside him.

The girl's long hair was slightly messy from the wind, but her eyes were astonishingly bright.

She didn't scream; she just widened her eyes, her entire body swaying gently with the rhythm of the pendulum. Every time they were flung to the highest point, she couldn't help but let out a joyful "Wow."

That smile was genuinely heartfelt, without any pretense.

"You seem to be enjoying this quite a bit."

Jiang Yuan couldn't help but laugh during a moment of lull.

"It's so much fun."

Liu Zhuoyun smiled, her voice still clear in the wind, "It's more fun than the tumbling exercises I do at the Martial Arts Hall."

The Giant Pendulum swung for several full rounds. When it finally stopped, everyone's legs were a little shaky as they got off.

Zhang Xueya squatted on the ground, panting, "I can't do this anymore. My soul just flew up to the heavens and hasn't returned yet."

Song Qinghan clutched her chest, "I genuinely thought I was about to meet my ancestors..."

Only Liu Zhuoyun showed no signs of exhaustion, apart from a lingering blush of excitement on her face.

"Want to go again?"

She asked seriously.

"Have mercy on us, Sister Yun."

Zhang Xueya raised her hands in surrender, "You train martial arts; we are just ordinary people."

The group burst into laughter.

Next, they played attractions like the Free Fall and the Swing Ride.

Unexpectedly, Liu Zhuoyun was hardly afraid of these heart-pounding rides, which terrified others; instead, she grew more excited the more she played.

After every ride, her eyes sparkled, as if she had opened the door to a new world.

"So it turns out going out to play is this fun."

She stood in the wind and sighed softly.

Jiang Yuan looked at her profile, suddenly feeling a little fortunate.

Fortunately, she had come, and he was the one who brought her out.

The sunset gradually sank behind the horizon, and the lights of the Dinosaur Kingdom lit up one after another. The green trees, dinosaurs, and buildings of the daytime were all coated in a layer of dreamy light.

When the sky completely darkened, the Ferris Wheel in the distance lit up with a full circle of colorful lights, resembling a slowly rising halo, becoming the most conspicuous presence in the entire park.

"Wow—it looks so beautiful at night!"

Song Qinghan pulled Shen Lingke, unable to take her eyes off it.

"Brother Jiang, let's go ride the Ferris Wheel!"

Zhang Xueya proposed immediately.

"Alright."

Jiang Yuan agreed readily.

Each section of the Ferris Wheel was a small, transparent viewing cabin that could seat two to four people.

While queuing, Zhang Xueya suddenly turned around and said, "In that case... Qinghan, Lingke, and I will take one cabin, and the two of you will take the other?"

After speaking, she gave Jiang Yuan a meaningful look.

"That's fine."

Jiang Yuan smiled, not refusing.

Liu Zhuoyun's ears quietly turned red, but she didn't object.

When it was their turn, the previous cabin had just seated three chattering girls.

The next cabin stopped smoothly, and the staff member pulled open the door: "Please watch your step, you two."

Jiang Yuan gestured, "You first."

Liu Zhuoyun quietly said "Thank you" and stepped into the cabin.

Jiang Yuan followed closely, and the door softly closed behind them.

The Ferris Wheel slowly started, and the cabin began to rise gradually.

Just after leaving the ground, the noise from the amusement park outside was still clearly audible, and colorful lights danced on the transparent glass.

As the height increased, the chaotic sounds were gradually isolated, leaving only the faint mechanical hum and their two breaths.

The cabin fell silent, a silence that felt somewhat intimate.

"Are you scared?"

Jiang Yuan looked at Liu Zhuoyun across from him, breaking the silence.

"No."

Liu Zhuoyun shook her head. She moved closer to the window and looked down at the park shrinking beneath them, her eyes filled with the usual curiosity.

"It seems like you're not really afraid of any of the rides here."

Jiang Yuan laughed.

"I do get a little scared."

Liu Zhuoyun thought for a moment. "But... when you're here, it doesn't seem so scary anymore."

After saying it, she paused, realizing the statement was a little too direct, and a faint blush slowly spread across her cheeks.

Jiang Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

The Ferris Wheel continued to ascend.

Before long, they reached a position near the very top.

The lights of the entire Dinosaur Kingdom spread out beneath their feet, and the city's neon lights merged into a single expanse in the distance. The night wind swept past from high altitude, carrying a slight chill that was surprisingly comfortable.

"It's quite beautiful."

Jiang Yuan casually remarked while looking out the window.

"Mhm."

Liu Zhuoyun also looked at the night view and added, "It's different from seeing it on a phone."

Jiang Yuan turned his head to look at her.

The soft light of the Ferris Wheel shone on the girl's face. Her eyelashes cast faint shadows in the light, and her eyes reflected the sea of lights from the entire park.

"Where do you want to travel in the future?"

He asked suddenly.

Liu Zhuoyun was stunned.

"Travel around the world?"

Jiang Yuan tilted his head toward her. "So... is there any specific place you especially want to go?"

"Before... it was the kind of place I only dared to think about, but not mention."

Liu Zhuoyun gently fiddled with the hem of her skirt, as if gathering courage.

"What about now?"

"Now..."

She looked up at Jiang Yuan, her gaze slightly cautious. "Now... I feel like I can slowly start talking about it."

The Ferris Wheel swayed gently high in the sky.

Their eye contact lasted longer than usual.

Jiang Yuan smiled, his voice dropping low, "Then tell me slowly, and I will listen slowly."

In this moment, time seemed to stretch out.

Outside were lights and starlight; inside were two young people whose heartbeats were slightly out of rhythm.

The Ferris Wheel continued its slow rotation, yet it felt as though it were carving a subtle, evolving emotion into this night, rotation by rotation.

The two figures gradually moved closer, merging, then separated a few minutes later, but Liu Zhuoyun's face was already deeply flushed.

Just now, the two of them had kissed.

Liu Zhuoyun sat next to Jiang Yuan, and they didn't make any further movements.

He simply held her quietly, watching the night outside.

The Ferris Wheel slowly descended, and the cabin gave a gentle wobble.

The distant lights gradually rose from beneath their feet back into view, and the sounds of the bustle outside filtered back through the glass.

It was as if that quiet time, which belonged only to the two of them, had been softly tucked away into the depths of the night.

"We're almost at the bottom."

Jiang Yuan said in a low voice, which was slightly husky but very gentle.

"Mhm."

Liu Zhuoyun's voice was almost inaudible, but her hand did not pull away from his embrace.

Only when the cabin door was tapped by the staff member did she suddenly snap back to attention, sitting up straight from Jiang Yuan's embrace like a small animal whose pause button had been pressed.

But the blush on her face refused to fade.

The two of them stepped out of the Ferris Wheel one after the other.

The night wind blew against her face, carrying away some of the heat, but it couldn't take away the hot, throbbing excitement in her heart.