Chapter 26: Manager Sar
What appeared before people's eyes was a very large lake. The pink and purple lake water contrasted with the pink and purple sky. Clouds floated in the lake, soft like a beautiful dream that had not yet awakened.
They unknowingly walked to the lakeside and sat down. The green lawn was like a giant blanket, and the willow trees along the shore were bathed in a pink and purple halo, gently brushing against the tourists' cheeks like the clouds of a beautiful woman's hair. A few colorful butterflies fluttered in a clump of lavender on the shore. The fragrance of flowers and grass wafted in the breeze, like a mellow wine, making every tourist who stopped here feel as if they were drunk and in a dream.
Cao Xiaoliang sat back-to-back with his classmates by the lake. He squinted at the clouds drifting leisurely across the surface, momentarily unable to tell whether the sky was above or below. He even worried that if he fell asleep, he might crush the clouds below.
Every pore in his body exuded a happy and relaxed mood. Cao Xiaoliang couldn't help but smile foolishly because he suddenly remembered many beautiful memories that he had forgotten...
While the tourists were sitting by the lake, peacefully and happily enjoying their leisure time, a girl with bangs covering her eyes walked in with her head hung and shoulders slumped.
Her name is Zhao Xiaomei. Today is her birthday, a birthday only she remembers.
For her, birthdays weren't special occasions. In the past seventeen years, she'd never eaten cake, let alone received a gift. Her birthday seemed no different from any other. The only special thing about this day was that she was another year older. But growing older wasn't something to celebrate, because it meant getting married sooner. That was the norm for rural migrant workers: they'd work for a few years, earn money, and then, while they were still young and had options, marry the kind of honest, capable men the adults described as from the village, but whom she didn't particularly care for.
But when she passed by the entrance of Fantasy Park, when she saw the smiles on the faces of those people in the queue, when she saw how happy they were calling their friends, she stopped, and a dusty string in her heart was suddenly touched, and she involuntarily stood at the end of the queue.
Why are they so happy? Does Paradise really bring happiness?
Aren’t all TV dramas lies?
The ticket was fifty yuan, too expensive, and only allowed one entry. I heard there were many other fees inside the park. If fifty yuan was just for the entrance fee, wouldn't that be a waste of money? What's so great about an ordinary park? Fifty yuan was enough for her to live on for two weeks.
Forget it, let’s go. I’ve seen it on TV anyway. The park is full of balloons, carousels, Ferris wheels, roller coasters... I’ve seen it on TV, and there’s nothing new or fun.
As she was about to leave the line, someone suddenly patted her shoulder from behind. Zhao Xiaomei flinched and turned around hastily, but she didn't dare look anyone in the face. She only caught a glimpse of a tall girl with a gentle voice saying to her, "It's your turn to buy a ticket."
Before she knew it, everyone in front of her had already bought their tickets, leaving a long gap in the queue. Yet, no one rushed to cut in line, instead staring at her from behind. Feeling the intensity of everyone's gazes, Zhao Xiaomei blushed and apologized without a second thought, "I'm sorry, I was so lost in thought I didn't notice..."
She gave a bunch of incoherent explanations, but the girl smiled and said in a gentler voice, "Baby, you're so cute. Go buy your tickets!"
"Baby, you are so cute." These words were like a small hammer that gently hit her heart, making her dazed. In her dark and cowardly time, no one had ever called her baby so gently, and no one had ever praised her.
Zhao Xiaomei bought the ticket in a daze, and only woke up when she entered the park. She looked at the ticket in her hand with some regret, and secretly despised herself. Why was she so disappointing? Why did she feel like she had lost her soul when others called her baby?
Zhao Xiaomei realized she was desperately lacking love, but there was nothing she could do. She wanted to get a refund, but she glanced at the staff from afar and found it difficult to bring herself to speak. She could only follow the crowd, burdened with guilt.
There are so many people here! But the hustle and bustle around her was like a pot of boiling water. She was afraid that if she reached out her hand, she would get burned.
She could only hunch her shoulders, stare at the road, and try to walk to places with fewer people.
She walked into the purple lake experience area.
It's hard to describe the shock I felt when I first saw this place.
It turns out that there really are such skies and lakes in this world.
"What's so good about traveling? It's just spending money and suffering. The scenery is the same everywhere. Isn't it the same thing you see when you go out to work and ride the bus? And you can still make money!"
Her father's words seemed to ring in her ears, but at this moment, Zhao Xiaomei felt a slight leap of joy in her heart. Different! Different! She had evidence!
She wanted to take a few photos, but as she got closer to the lake, she forgot everything. She only remembered that she felt very comfortable, very comfortable, like the bed she was reluctant to leave in winter, or the popsicle she licked again and again in summer... Zhao Xiaomei sat down by the lake unknowingly, her mind relaxed as never before. It was at this moment that she suddenly recalled her long-forgotten childhood.
The dreamy ripples of the purple lake seemed to ripple straight into the deep sea of her memory, rolling up those beautiful times in the deepest part layer by layer, rolling them into surging waves, drowning her completely.
She remembered her little self stumbling through a garden, turning back every time she walked a short distance to glance at her parents who were walking with her. She remembered her little self wearing a beautiful princess crown and sitting in front of a huge cake, surrounded by bright lights, with many adults surrounding her. They called her darling and sang birthday songs for her. Even when she blew out the candles too hard and fell into the cake, ruining the expensive cake into a mess, no one blamed her. They just smiled kindly, hugged her, and cried out in pain, "Oh my baby Lanlan, wipe our baby Lanlan clean, don't cry, don't cry..."
Zhao Xiaomei was suddenly stunned...
An inexplicable emotion surged back and forth in her chest, and she suddenly burst into tears.
The crying sound broke the tranquility and peace of the purple lake. The tourists came back to their senses from their joy and looked at the girl sitting by the lake and crying in surprise.
Cao Xiaoliang and others were the closest to the girl. They looked around and found that everyone around them was looking at them with strange eyes. They felt their scalps tingling. Oh my God, who can prove that they didn't do anything to this girl at all!
But the staff had disappeared. Just as he was getting anxious, Cao Xiaoliang suddenly spotted a familiar tall figure not far away. He froze for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Manager Sal!"
He jumped up and rushed over, grabbing Sal, who was still unaware of the situation for some reason, and said to him, "Go and take a look. I don't know what's going on with that girl. You're a staff member, so you must be able to see the surveillance footage! You must prove our innocence!"
Sal stared at him for a while, then looked at the girl crying not far away. He said "oh" and his smile seemed ambiguous.
At the same time, Chi Yizhen, who was in the security room, suddenly received a game reminder, "Players, please lock your character card. Players, please lock your character card."
Chi Yizheng hadn't thought about the character cards for a long time. When he suddenly received the reminder, he inexplicably opened his personal panel, only to find that his backpack was empty. Both character cards were gone, gone!
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