Chapter 23
The atmosphere was silent.
Once again, she was so disheveled in front of him.
Coincidentally, Guan Nan hadn't recovered from her low mood and all she wanted to do was get away.
Unable to resist Jiang Li's relentless insistence.
The large sign above the entrance reads "Fuling Amusement Park".
This amusement park is the largest indoor amusement park in Fuling City, with all kinds of attractions. Guan Nan has never been there but has heard of it.
Upon reaching the second floor, Jiang Li greeted several people.
The boy in the bowling alley glanced back, not even drinking the water he'd just opened, and greeted her with a smile: "Hi, class monitor."
This is Xin Jia, a friend of Jiang Li whom I met last time.
"Thanks to him for what happened last time," Guan Nan said after a two-second pause, then smiled at him.
Xin Jia's words, "class monitor," drew the attention of several people who turned around and greeted her with laughter. There were both boys and girls, including Xie Shuwan, whom she had met before.
These were all Jiang Li's friends, and Guan Nan smiled awkwardly.
"Hi," Xie Shuwan waved, "Let's play together."
After Jiang Li finished greeting everyone, he came out and declined Xie Shuwan's invitation, saying, "I'm going upstairs."
"Upstairs?" Xie Shuwan asked him.
Jiang Li nodded, indicating that they should go up first.
Guan Nan was unfamiliar with the place and just followed Jiang Li blindly. She watched as he bought two tickets at the service desk, came over and called her name, "Let's go up."
She wanted to know how much the tickets cost, but after Jiang Li scanned the tickets and took the two wristbands, he tore them up and threw them in the trash can.
The third floor area is very large, and the facilities are clearly allocated.
Golf, shooting, basketball shooting machines, go-karting, CS, etc.
Jiang Li led her into the go-kart rooftop area.
Seeing this, Guan Nan tugged at his sleeve, but Jiang Li simply patted her hand and showed no intention of stopping to go inside. Outside the changing area, she said, "Jiang Li, I don't know how to play these games."
Jiang Li saw the worry on her face, smiled and tugged at her ponytail, "With me here, what are you afraid of?"
Guan Nan's lips moved as if she wanted to say something.
Without giving her another chance to refuse, Jiang Li smiled and patted her shoulder lightly with his hand behind his back. "Go change your clothes first. I'll wait for you outside."
Orange-red sky, vast campsite, red and blue racing uniforms.
Guan Nan walked out awkwardly and saw Jiang Li with a helmet hanging in his hand. He casually shook his head at the girl.
The girl was still saying something.
A few seconds later, Jiang Li lifted his eyelids and looked over, his eyebrows casually raised slightly.
When their eyes met, a subtle smile played in his eyes.
Then, he raised his chin and said lazily, "Here I am."
The girl, who was holding up her phone to ask for his WeChat, wanted to pester him a little longer, but when she heard what he said, she looked over.
With both eyes looking over at the same time, Guan Nan was somewhat at a loss: "..."
She instinctively looked down, thinking she had worn the wrong clothes and fearing a series of embarrassing incidents. Only after checking herself over and confirming there was no problem did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Looking up again, she heard the girl who had brushed past her say, "Excuse me, I didn't know you were together."
Thinking the other person was Jiang Li's friend, she shook her head to indicate that it was nothing.
"Come here." Jiang Li's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and his tone was tinged with amusement.
Guan Nan glanced at him and said, "Oh."
She stood obediently in front of Jiang Li, hugged the helmet he handed her, and felt him wrap his arm around her head and remove the hair tie from her hair.
With her ponytail losing its weight, Guan Nan looked up at him with a somewhat surprised expression.
He paused, then used his five fingers to comb through the creases of his ponytail.
Guan Nan blinked, feeling the soft warmth of the gentle touch on her head. Something seemed to stir in her tender heart, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Li withdrew his hand and saw her staring blankly with a faint smile on her face, looking somewhat like a spoiled rich kid with a cynical and frivolous air.
It was as if she hadn't heard him.
Guan Nan stared intently at Jiang Li, her large, dark pupils and perpetually moist eyelids making one's heart soften. The way she looked at him inexplicably instilled a sense of guilt in the person.
Jiang Li took the helmet from her, put it over her head, and then leaned down to get closer.
What will happen next...?
Guan Nan's pupils contracted, and her breathing stopped abruptly.
Jiang Li took another step closer with amusement, noticing the panic in her eyes, and slapped down the windshield.
The helmet completely enveloped her, and she couldn't hear anything except for the slight movement of his lips, as if he were saying...
--Fool.
He tilted his head and laughed arrogantly.
The only sounds at the outdoor campsite were the tires grinding and excited shouts of go-karts running in circles.
Guan Nan could only see the smile of the carefree young man in front of her.
My vision became increasingly blurry through the windshield.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Jiang Li tapped her helmet lazily. "Let's go."
He asked a staff member for a two-seater go-kart. When the staff member heard that he wanted a two-seater go-kart, he gave Guan Nan a knowing look and hailed the car for the two of them.
Guan Nan opened the windshield and, under Jiang Li's direction, got into the right seat.
This was Guan Nan's first reaction after the go-kart started—
Jiang Li is an expert.
She can rest assured.
However, on the way, another car crashed into us, pushing against the back of the seat so hard that our internal organs felt like they were about to jump out.
Guan Nan struggled to get back into the steering wheel, but still managed to glance at Jiang Li.
He calmly turned the steering wheel, avoiding the tire barrier, and then stepped on the gas to quickly catch up with the car that had just collided with them, thus overtaking it.
As the go-kart went around one bend after another, Guan Nan felt like she was about to be thrown off at any moment.
Thankfully, the seatbelt was fastened tightly enough, and I gripped the steering wheel firmly enough.
It wasn't until the car stopped and Guan Nan's feet touched the ground that she belatedly experienced what true speed and passion meant.
Jiang Li took off his helmet and helped her up. "How are you? Can you accept this?"
Guan Nan nodded and said, "It's very exciting."
With the helmet covering her, the other person couldn't hear what she said. After a pause, Guan Nan took off the helmet and slowly said, "It was very exciting."
"Let's play one more round," Jiang Li said, pretending to put on his helmet.
Guan Nan quickly grabbed his hand, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I think I'm a little... a little carsick..."
Hearing her words, Jiang Li couldn't help but laugh again while holding his helmet.
“Try again,” Jiang Li said. “Growth requires constant experimentation.”
The fear in her heart subsided a little, and Guan Nan glanced at him again. Under his "trust me" gaze, she couldn't help but nod.
He said, "Be bold, I'm right behind you."
Just as he said, after teaching Guan Nan how to operate the car, his car steadily followed behind her.
It gave her an endless sense of security.
Just as she hit a wall, Jiang Li stopped behind her and used gestures to teach her from a distance.
Suddenly, only one sentence remained in Guan Nan's mind.
"I want to protect you."
Guan Nan has a strong learning ability. After hitting a wall twice, she mastered the technique, floored the accelerator, and navigated countless turns to successfully reach the finish line.
All the negative emotions I had felt earlier vanished under the impact of this exciting event.
Standing in the changing room, Guan Nan looked at the clothes she had taken off and suddenly realized something in a flash.
Today we're at the amusement park.
She wasn't with him.
He was the one who accompanied her.
Faced with such a thoughtful Jiang Li, Guan Nan couldn't help but reminisce.
This person may seem carefree and irresponsible, but that's not the case at all. He is always considerate and tactful in his dealings with people and things. His good upbringing makes him subconsciously considerate of people's feelings, knowing what to say and what not to say, what to do and what not to do, and whether to stop when to stop. He has a perfect grasp of the appropriate degree in everything he does.
After returning the clothes, the two were about to leave when the staff pulled up a screenshot and asked if they wanted it.
The photo is a still image of the two people wearing helmets and sitting in a tandem go-kart.
Then, Jiang Li took her to play all the games on the second and third floors. When they wanted to go to play paintball, a phone call came in.
Jiang Li glanced at the caller ID and then answered the phone.
Yu Shu: "Are you guys done playing? Do you want us to go up?"
They could still hear them discussing where to go for their next event. Jiang Li glanced at Guan Nan upon hearing this, but instead of replying to Yu Shu, he turned to Guan Nan and asked, "Are you busy tonight?"
Guan Nan thought for a moment and then shook his head.
"Are you going home for dinner?"
Today, the whole family went to Lin Zhaozhao's maternal grandmother's house to celebrate the holiday. Guan Nan had to take care of breakfast, lunch, and dinner herself because she had a part-time job tomorrow, and also because she didn't have the key to Tangzi Lane. Since they wouldn't be back tonight, she would have to stay at Hecangyuan.
After a two-second pause, Guan Nan said, "No need, what's wrong?"
“If there’s nothing wrong, just call the class monitor over,” Jiang Li showed her the caller ID, turned on the speakerphone, and Yu Shu shouted in the noisy environment, “Class monitor, it’s a holiday today and the adults are all together and don’t have time for us. It just so happens that Lin Rui’s dog isn’t here, so his future wife… Ouch! It hurts, sis! Xie Shuwan, Xie Shuwan, okay? I’m not Lin Rui, I can’t take this kind of beating. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, sis, I’m sorry. Okay, you guys come down here, we’re waiting on the first floor. Damn it! Xie Shuwan! You fucking hit me so hard!”
Yu Shu's loose tongue earned him a beating.
Without waiting for him to continue shouting, Jiang Li hung up the phone and offered Guan Nan some advice: "If you don't want to go, I'll let them go first."
Guan Nan understood that their main concern was waiting for Jiang Li, and she was secondary. But since they were all waiting on the first floor and had even called, it would be impolite and inappropriate to refuse now. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Go ahead."
"Don't force yourself."
Guan Nan smiled and said, "I wasn't forced."
The two got into the elevator together. After thinking for a moment, she couldn't help but ask Jiang Li, "It's Mid-Autumn Festival today, aren't you going home to have dinner with... people?"
“Yes,” Jiang Li said, “they took my grandmother on vacation.”
Guan Nan was very surprised.
Jiang Li glanced at her and saw her expression, which seemed to be saying "condolences," and found it amusing: "I have a performance, I can't go."
Guan Nan nodded.
The elevator arrived, and Jiang Li went up first, blocking the door.
Guan Nan looked up at him, but under his calm expression, she lowered her head again and entered the elevator.
"tomorrow--"
Guan Nan: "I need to work."
After a two-second silence, Jiang Li said "Oh".
Strangely, the two stood in the elevator, neither of them speaking nor responding.
A moment later.
Normal social etiquette would involve continuing the conversation along the lines of the topic, using this opportunity to build rapport and strengthen relationships.
Guan Nan's family situation is not good, so she is always very careful in this regard, subconsciously avoiding related topics and trying her best to protect the self-esteem of both herself and the other person.
It wasn't until Jiang Li asked, "Why don't you attend evening self-study sessions?"
Jiang Li knew a bit about her situation, so Guan Nan didn't deliberately hide it from him: "You need tutoring."
"Which tutoring center are you from?" Jiang Li laughed. "I'll sign up for one too."
Guan Nan paused for a few seconds, then honestly said, "I'm tutoring my younger sister."
Jiang Li immediately understood.
Yu Shu, who happened to be waiting for them in front of the claw machine, turned around and called out to them. Each of them was holding a small basket filled with game tokens.
“I thought you guys wouldn’t be so quick,” Yu said. “You’ve already started playing claw machines.”
Jiang Li glanced at Guan Nan, seemingly asking for her opinion.
Yu Shu understood, shoved the basket into her hand, and said with a grin, "Class monitor, want to play for a while?"
"I..." Guan Nan had never caught one before and didn't know how to play.
“Let him teach you. He can catch a lot of these cows,” Yu Shu pushed Jiang Li in front of Guan Nan. Just then, a bunch of heads gathered around and cheered, “We caught them!” He glanced at them and quickly said, “You guys catch more. I’ll go take a look.”
"Yu Shu," a girl called out, "come help me catch this!"
Yu Shuying replied, "Coming, coming."
Seeing that Guan Nan didn't take it, Yu Shu handed it to Jiang Li with a wink.
"......"
"......"
"Stitch, caught! Ahhh!"
"And this too!"
"Xie Shuwan, you didn't even cut that pink leopard flower for over a hundred bucks, forget about it," the boy said. "Let Xin Jia give you the Garfield one. Hey, where's Xin Jia? Where did she go again?"
Guan Nan pursed her lips, feeling uneasy as if she had accidentally stumbled into someone else's social media circle; it was awkward no matter how she looked at it.
While Jiang Li was in the restroom, Qi Yang called.
Qi Yang asked her on the phone, "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet," Guan Nan said.
"It's a holiday today," Qi Yang said. "Come back and have a meal together."
Hearing his words, Guan Nan lowered her head, staring blankly at the game coins in the basket, "Now..."
Qi Yang noticed the commotion on the other end, paused for two seconds, and asked gently, "Is it inconvenient?"
"No..." Guan Nan opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.
Qi Yang: "Sister Zhen knows you went to see Auntie."
The implication was that Ms. Zhen knew she had visited Ran Mingju, and since it was Mid-Autumn Festival today, she wanted to reunite with her at Cangyuan Garden for a meal and learn more about Ran Mingju's current situation.
"I'm outside with my classmates right now." Guan Nan hesitated, having only agreed to Jiang Li's request a few minutes earlier.
"It's 5:32 PM now. Your classmate should be going home for dinner soon, right?"
“He,” Guan Nan glanced at Jiang Li who had come out, “he’s not going home.”
"Not coming home for dinner?"
"Um."
"Not even coming home for dinner during the holidays?" Qi Yang noticed something amiss and switched to an elder's tone, "Male or female classmates?"
Guan Nan hesitated for a moment, then said vaguely, "Female classmate."
"Okay, then be careful and go home early." Remembering that she had made friends last time, Qi Yang didn't press her for more details.
She hung up the phone and was putting it into her pocket.
Jiang Li walked over and said, "Are you in a hurry?"
"Who?" Guan Nan asked.
“At home.” He raised his chin slightly, as if to say, “I saw her answer the phone,” and then took her basket.
Guan Nan pursed her lips and followed him to the claw machine, her tone calm: "No."
"Just tell me, I'll take you home." Jiang Li tossed two coins, manipulated the flashing pole, and said without turning around, "Which one do you like?"
Guan Nan raised her hand and pointed lightly at the transparent glass.
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