As if something had suddenly pierced her heart, Lin Zhenzhen's fingers, which were gripping the umbrella handle, curled slightly, and then she began to cough violently.
Gong Yao ran while calling her name.
"It's okay, just hang in there a little longer. We're already halfway there, and we'll be at the bottom of the mountain soon. Once we reach a place where we can hail a taxi, everything will be fine."
Lin Zhenzhen gently rested her head on his shoulder.
"Gong Yao, I'm fine, put me down."
Gong Yao remained silent, his jawline slightly bulging as he clenched his teeth.
His complexion was even worse than Lin Zhenzhen's.
A strong wind blew, and the poor umbrella was blown about at an angle.
A raindrop fell on Lin Zhenzhen's brow.
She suddenly felt a knot in her throat, a strange yet familiar sensation washing over her once again.
Lin Zhenzhen opened her mouth and heard "her own" voice.
Today is my birthday.
Gong Yao paused for half a second: "I know."
Lin Zhenzhen's eyes widened, her lips continuing to move uncontrollably: "You said before that you would take me somewhere for my birthday, have you forgotten?"
“I haven’t forgotten.” Gong Yao’s lips tightened into a straight line, and after a moment he spoke, “Feel the right pocket of your school uniform.”
Lin Zhenzhen felt as if "her" hand was being lifted by an invisible thread and slowly reached into the pocket of the oversized school uniform jacket.
Soon, she felt two somewhat stiff rectangular pieces of paper.
"I bought the tickets six months ago because I thought it wasn't anything special for you, and there was no need to wait until your birthday to go."
Gong Yao smiled rather reluctantly: "But I didn't expect so many things to happen afterward, which delayed things for so long, but in the end, it still happened to be your birthday."
Lin Zhenzhen clutched the two tickets tightly; perhaps due to improper storage, some of the ink had already peeled off.
There was a deep crease in the middle of the paper, making it look like it had been folded in half and stored in that shape for a long time.
Lin Zhenzhen couldn't guess how long Gong Yao had kept those two tickets.
He carried it with him for a day, a month, or every time he met her.
He carefully placed it in his clothes, but did not bring it up.
Because he felt that this was nothing special to her.
Gong Yao thought she had forgotten what she had said before.
So he simply pretended to have forgotten.
--
In the end, Gong Yao couldn't persuade Lin Zhenzhen otherwise and changed the destination at the last minute.
The amusement park was particularly deserted on a rainy day.
Gong Yao was completely soaked by the rain; his shirt was so wet that you could wring water out of it.
He could only buy a cheap T-shirt from a street vendor and change into it in the public restroom.
Lin Zhenzhen stood outside the door, holding an umbrella, waiting for him.
Just now, she lost control of this body once again.
The feeling was strange, as if her body was a sophisticated computer, and once a certain command was triggered, she had to follow the original program without any deviation.
Lin Zhenzhen looked at the scenery not far away.
A middle-aged woman in red was tending her stall, with colorful helium balloons beside her floating in the wind and rain, looking from a distance like a bouquet of flowers floating in the air, vibrant and full of life.
"Want to eat that?"
Gong Yao had somehow appeared behind her.
Lin Zhenzhen was startled and followed his gaze to the cart next to the helium balloon.
She paused for a moment, her thoughts racing, then gently shook her head and said, "No need."
"Really not going to eat?" Gong Yao rubbed his hair, shaking off the raindrops. "Don't you like sweets? Donuts, ice cream, and stuff like that."
Lin Zhenzhen frowned and said seriously, "The things at the amusement park entrance are all for fooling kids; they look nice but don't taste good."
Gong Yao's hand stopped moving: "You've eaten?"
"Yes, I've eaten."
Gong Yao's smile suddenly stiffened: "When did you eat it?"
"About a week ago," Lin Zhenzhen tilted the umbrella slightly towards him. "Let's go."
For the rest of the journey, Gong Yao remained unusually silent.
The two boarded the Ferris wheel without any problems.
The sky was overcast, and the light was as dim as dusk.
Bad weather seems to have translated into a low mood.
Lin Zhenzhen's gaze fell on Gong Yao opposite her. He lowered his head, his eyelids were down, and his gaze was calm, as if he was looking at his fingers resting on his knees, or as if he was looking at her toes.
Lin Zhenzhen didn't like his sullen and silent demeanor.
Are you unhappy?
Gong Yao looked up and forced a smile: "I'm happy."
You're lying to me.
Lin Zhenzhen knew that Gong Yao's inner conflict had never been resolved; he was just pretending to have let go of everything.
Pretend to stride forward and run.
In reality, they've confined themselves to their own little world, making no progress whatsoever.
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