Chapter 148 Bai Jiyue

"It's actually quite interesting," Bai Jiuyue said. "Those people did a pretty good job with the prop-less performance, but they didn't use any special effects. They must have been practicing. It'll be really nice once the show officially opens and the special effects are added."

Zhang Minmin nodded. "That's what I was thinking too. Shall we go to the Dwarf Elf Restaurant for dinner?"

Bai Jiuyue was stunned for a moment and was a little hesitant. Before she could figure out how to refuse, she was pulled away by Zhang Minmin.

With the hot springs' buffet restaurant sharing the burden, the dwarf restaurant wasn't too crowded. Zhang Minmin took her to visit the dwarf kitchen first. Bai Jiuyue was stunned. "Is the food really made from these furry creatures?"

Behind them were a group of tourists taking photos, like they were visiting celebrity animals at a zoo. Someone laughed when they heard this, "This can't be a real kitchen!"

Bai Jiuyue agreed, but when she thought about the ground dragon and the puff bird in the fantasy ranch, and the wonderful experience and feelings she had at that time, she felt that since they could achieve that, then there seemed to be nothing wrong with letting the dwarf cook.

It’s really amazing when you think about it, how did they do it?

After thinking for a long time, Bai Jiyue couldn't come up with an answer. Finally, she said to Zhang Minmin, "I want to apply for a high-tech major in college. I'm really curious about how these are made."

Zhang Minmin hummed, "Then you do your best."

The two found a seat in the restaurant. Bai Jiyue immediately checked the menu, feeling a slight sense of relief and a bit surprised that it wasn't as expensive as she'd imagined. They ran into quite a few classmates. At the next table sat Cao Xiaoliang, Zhang He, and a few other boys. Bai Jiyue noticed they'd ordered a lot of food and couldn't help but whisper, "Would Cao Xiaoliang's parents be willing to give him that much money?"

Zhang Minmin shook her head. "No, his parents are prejudiced against Fantasy Park. They think it's a place that will delay his studies. Apart from study materials, they don't give him any money. The money he spends now is all earned by himself."

"You have an annual pass, so you can do it too." Zhang Minmin did the math for her. "After accumulating merit points in the Abandoned Park and reaching level one, you can challenge the Fantasy Haunted House, choose the random NPC mode, and then play it twenty times in a row. You're guaranteed to get a level 1 item, which you can earn 500 yuan by recycling it to the park mall. If you're lucky, you might get a level 5 or 6 item, which is enough for a month's living expenses. However, most people won't have such good luck. But if you play it every weekend, you can earn 500 yuan, which is more than any part-time job."

Bai Jiuyue: "If that's the case, won't many people come to the park specifically to kill monsters and make money? Will the park ever be able to make a profit?"

Zhang Minmin nodded. "That's right, they call it 'making money.' But the park's ticket purchasing system is different now. You have to make a reservation on the park app first, and most people can only get one reservation a week! Since the reservation system was introduced, many parents have complained less about the park. They think once a week is better than before. At least their children won't be thinking about running to the park as soon as school gets out."

Indeed. Bai Jiuyue nodded. She also thought the park was so fun. She had only been to the Purple Lake and the Fantasy Ranch, and she felt like she was getting addicted. And those two places weren't the most popular in the Fantasy Park. Who knows how much more fun the other places would be! Once a week would be fine, forcing her to quit. Avoid delaying her studies.

In her heart, learning is of course the most important thing.

Zhang Minmin glanced at her twice and said, "During the summer vacation, we can go to Fantasy Paradise to play gold together."

Bai Jiuyue was surprised, "Didn't they say I can only come once a week?"

Zhang Minmin said, "Students can apply for subsidies on the Paradise app, and the Paradise officials will review them." She said, "It was the same with Cao Xiaoliang, and he was approved. The same goes for you. If you can earn enough for college tuition and living expenses during the summer vacation, you can focus on your studies when you go to college."

Bai Jiyue's heart pounded as she heard this. She nodded, feeling even more hopeful about the future.

At the same time, she also had a clearer understanding of the park's popularity. After all, it was the first amusement park she knew that required reservations and ticket purchases.

The two finished their meal happily. During the meal, Bai Jiuyue joined the queue at the Deserted Park and agreed to go to the City of Pranks to find Zhang Minmin after she came out of the Deserted Park.

Bai Jiuyue had just walked near the deserted park when she heard a man shouting loudly, "I see it's so popular online, but most of it is hype... They even have to make reservations and queue up, which is definitely a gimmick. They won't be able to survive for long."

Bai Jiuyue was a little angry after hearing this. Although it was her first day in the park, she had a good impression of it since the park gave her an annual pass. Moreover, the technology of the park really subverted her expectations. The food in the restaurant was delicious and cheap, and it also provided students with part-time job opportunities. For such a socially responsible company, how could this person speak so casually here!

Because the man's voice was so loud, it attracted the attention of many tourists. Bai Jiyue felt relieved when he saw people pointing and talking at him. At this time, a young man walked over and pointed the live camera at him. "Hello, sir, I'm a full-time anchor. My name is Xiao Zhou. May I know why you have such strong opinions about the park?"

The man said, "I don't have a big opinion about the park, I just look down on all internet celebrity products equally!"

Xiao Zhou: "Then you must not have visited the park yet! Once you visit the park, you will definitely change your opinion."

The man shook his head upon hearing this, revealing a disdainful expression. Not to mention, he looked quite arrogant.

At this time, the audience in Xiao Zhou's live broadcast room were already laughing and waiting to see how fragrant the man was.

Xiao Zhou immediately said, "In that case, can I follow your visit and film your journey? If you still don't change your mind after visiting Fantasy Park, then I will be convinced by you."

The man also took out a cell phone and pointed it at him. "You're the only one who can record it? I can do it too. Let's see who gets slapped in the face later." As he spoke, he walked forward and said, "I don't believe that Fantasy Park is really as amazing as it seems on the Internet."

The comments in Xiao Zhou's live broadcast room were already very intense at this time, and everyone was waiting to see the man get slapped in the face.

Bai Jiuyue looked at the deserted park where it was not her turn yet, so she followed them, feeling a little bit of anticipation to see others get slapped in the face.

Since places like the Abandoned Park, Jasmine Town, and the Fantasy Haunted House have various restrictions and lack any show effects, at Xiao Zhou's recommendation, the man first went to the Purple Lake, then to the Dwarf Restaurant, and finally to the City of Pranks.

When the man saw the purple lake, his mouth opened wide, and when he saw the dwarf restaurant, his eyes were already fixed on Fluffy.

The audience laughed, but the man remained stubborn, saying it was nothing, saying other parks also had beautiful scenery and dolls. However, his reluctant expression betrayed him. By the time he entered the City of Pranks, he had been completely conquered.

He told the camera that he had only ever seen the world from the bottom of a well, and sincerely recommended it to everyone, "Fantasy Paradise is completely different from what I imagined before. I'm really impressed." As he spoke, his eyes flickered and he said to Xiao Zhou, "Hey, bro, can you censor me? I'm really afraid of embarrassing myself."

Xiao Zhou just smiled and said, "Sorry, I just started a live broadcast."

When the young man heard this, his expression instantly collapsed, which made the audience ecstatic. They said it was so cool and they loved watching others get slapped in the face.

Bai Jiyue followed behind and saw this scene, and she was secretly happy in her heart. After all, she was also a native of Jinan and had a sense of honor.

Xiao Zhou's live broadcast was soon closed. Bai Jiuyue was about to leave when she saw the young man completely change his demeanor. He said to Xiao Zhou in a very familiar manner, "Brother Zhou, how was my performance just now?"

Xiao Zhou gave him a thumbs up and said, "As expected of a professional actor, amazing."

Bai Jiyue: ...

It turned out that this person was actually an actor hired by Xiao Zhou! Bai Jiyue felt that her worldview was in jeopardy.

Perhaps because she stood there for too long, Xiao Zhou's men soon discovered her. Seeing that his attempt to hire an actor had been discovered, Xiao Zhou very skillfully took out a few red banknotes and stuffed them into her hand. "Hey, little sister, this is for you. Don't tell anyone."

Bai Jiuyue shrank back and shook her head, then Xiao Zhou said, "Hey, keep it. Don't look at me like that. There are too many anchors filming fantasy parks now. If you want to be popular and have topics, you have to be innovative! I'm doing this for a living! Little sister, please be considerate of me! This money is for your tuition. If you accept it, it means you agree. Don't tell anyone!"

Bai Jiyue hesitated when she heard the word "tuition," and then Xiao Zhou stuffed a handful of red banknotes into her hand. After the people left, she counted them and found that there was a full 1,000 yuan!

First, he got a free annual card, and then he inexplicably received a thousand yuan in hush money.

This... Is today my lucky day?

Bai Jiyue's face flushed. The tuition fee for the university she admired was several thousand yuan a year, and this thousand yuan was enough to cover a fraction of that!

She felt a little dizzy, and after putting the money into her backpack, she touched it several times out of concern.

After walking for a while in a daze, she calmed down and found that she was lost in the city of pranks. There was no one in front of her. There was a small house next to her with the door half closed and the words "Wish House" were written on it.

In the past, Bai Jiyue wouldn't have been interested in a place like this. She felt that she had bad luck and there was a high probability that her wish would not come true. But thinking about what happened today, she hesitated for a moment and walked into the wish hut.

It was pitch black inside, with stars flickering and moving around, like a small universe.

How beautiful! Bai Jiuyue sighed in her heart, holding a star that was rushing towards her.

She had so many wishes, such as having her brother share the housework, having her parents stop treating her differently, having a room of her own, etc.

She could have easily said everything she wanted to achieve, but she couldn't get it anyway.

But when she held the little star, she suddenly calmed down. She said, "My wish is to have someone, or something, who will always be with me, watching over me, admonishing me when I become lazy and crave comfort, urging me to study and earn money, and urging me to constantly change the status quo and keep seeking, until one day I can live the life of my dreams."

The stars flew high up, and Bai Jiuyue breathed a sigh of relief, as if something had been taken away from his shoulder.

She walked out of the wishing hut with light steps, and she tripped and almost fell without paying attention.

When I looked back, I saw it was a very cute doll.

Because it was so cute, she couldn't help but pick up the doll and dust it off.

Bai Jiuyue found the staff and wanted to find the owner of the doll.

The staff member looked at the code on the bottom of the doll and said, "This isn't a tourist's doll. It's from our 'Heartbeat Choice' warehouse. It might have accidentally fallen during transportation." Before Bai Jiuyue could respond, the staff member said, "The fact that you found it shows that you two are destined to meet. You can apply to take it home."

A tempting choice? Isn't that the one that requires a 1,000 yuan deposit?

Bai Jiuyue quickly shook her head.

The staff member sighed and said, "Well, since you don't want it, I'll put it back in the warehouse."

It was a rag doll only the size of two palms. Bai Jiuyue didn't know if it was an illusion, but when she shook her head, the doll's eyes seemed to droop in disappointment. She shook her head, dismissing this inexplicable thought.

After walking only a few steps, Bai Jiuyue remembered the feeling of holding the doll in her arms and couldn't help but look back. Just one glance and the thread on the doll's chest suddenly broke, revealing the thread and the white cotton inside. Its back seemed to collapse as if someone had suddenly hollowed out its heart.

Bai Jiuyue's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't explain what she was feeling at the time. She rushed over and blurted out, "Give it to me! I still want it."

…

Half an hour later, Bai Jiuyue held the doll in her arms and felt so regretful that she wanted to jump into the river.

Ahhhh, was I possessed by a demon? Why would I spend a thousand yuan on a tiny stuffed animal? This kind of stuffed animal can be bought for just a dozen yuan at the mall!

However, this doll seems to be particularly cute, and the ones in shopping malls are not as cute as this one.

Bai Jiuyue felt that this might be the filter brought by the thousand yuan.

Bai Jiuyue put the doll into her backpack.

While she was still regretting the loss of one thousand dollars, she never imagined that one day soon she would be so glad for her decision today.