Chapter 108 · if: Modern Daylight
Back at the Hua family home, the atmosphere remained as somber as ever.
This time, her parents didn't say anything. They just gave her a cold look and then asked her to come and eat.
They never spoke during meals, and the entire meal was utterly silent until Hua Deng put down his knife and fork. Only then did the father suddenly speak: "You know perfectly well what you're going to the party for. You don't like the people I introduced you to, and you wouldn't look down on Jin's youngest son either, would you?"
The food Hua Deng had just eaten was churning in her stomach. Her expression remained unchanged as she stood up and said, "I don't like it."
As she turned to go upstairs, she heard the jarring sound of her father slamming down his knife and fork. Her mother remained silent, clearly equally dissatisfied with her.
Over the years, she has completely deviated from their predetermined path. She studied her favorite major in college and opened her own studio to do what she loved after graduation, instead of following their instructions.
The money I earned was deposited into their account as repayment for raising me. As for the rest, their other child is still in the United States, which will surely satisfy them in the future.
After entering the room and locking the door, Hua Deng washed up, changed her clothes, and crawled into bed to send a message.
[Dengdengdengdeng]: What are we watching tonight?
[。]: Beluga whale.
Hua Deng: "..."
[。]: Just kidding, it's your decision.
[。]：Dog wagging its tail.jpg
[Dengdengdengdeng]: Cat scratching.jpg
After thinking for a moment, Hua Deng suggested another horror movie title.
I don't know if he searched for it or not, but he quickly agreed.
With headphones on, the two successfully connected via voice chat, and the movie played smoothly.
Horror movies can help relieve stress, but Hua Deng didn't want to watch anything too scary, so she specifically looked for a "heartwarming horror movie" recommended by netizens. Sure enough, the movie started with a clichéd and slow-paced plot.
The scene is set in a villa abroad, with a typical family of three: a busy working father, a stay-at-home mother, and a sickly young son.
The problem lay in the rag doll the son brought home; the doll was possessed by a demon. That night, the rag doll on the sofa suddenly rolled its eyes, revealing a hideous, blood-red light.
However, at that moment, the camera suddenly switched to broadcasting the couple's married life upstairs.
Hua Deng: "???"
Wasn't I watching a horror movie?
The scene was so shocking that she was speechless for a moment, and even her breathing became much lighter.
There was no sound in the earphones, and Hua Deng didn't know what Shen Zhou was thinking. She hoped he was asleep.
Finally, that part ended, and they continued talking about their son and the doll. Half an hour later, the slow-witted parents finally believed that their house was haunted and called a priest to perform an exorcism.
The devil pretended to be sealed away, but in reality, he possessed the youngest son.
The couple thought everything was settled and resumed their exciting married life.
Hua Deng: "..."
Half an hour later, the youngest son was completely possessed by the devil and did a series of things. The couple finally realized that the devil was still alive, so they called the pastor again.
The pastor revealed the devil's past; it turned out that it was once a neglected child, its mind twisted, and it listened to the devil's words, merging with the devil to become what it is now.
In short, the couple deeply repented, unwilling to harm their youngest son's body, and were willing to die at the hands of the devil. The devil was moved and successfully sealed away by the pastor.
So this is what "heartwarming horror film" means. I'm speechless.
At the end of the story, the male and female protagonists leave this place and move to another city to start a new life.
The scene was fresh and bright, and the streetlights breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, in their new home, the woman turned around, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "Our baby will surely come back to us. Darling, let's give him a chance to become an angel."
The two locked eyes and quickly turned to face each other. This time, Hua Deng didn't hesitate and snapped the page shut. She tried to sound calm as she said, "The rest isn't scary, it's not interesting."
A voice, devoid of emotion, came through the earpiece: "You think what's ahead is scary?"
Hua Deng: "Okay, the beginning isn't scary either. I failed to choose a movie."
Shen Zhou chuckled and said, "That's quite interesting. If it were too terrifying, you'd be scared too."
Hua Deng: "Aren't you afraid?"
He said, "I'm afraid."
Hua Deng: "Lying."
He smiled but didn't say anything.
Just then, a new call came in on the phone. When he answered, it was a courier who said a large package had arrived.
Hua Deng was completely bewildered. She went downstairs to get the item, took it back up, and opened it to find that it was a beluga whale doll that was over a meter long.
"Did you buy this for me?" she immediately asked Shen Zhou.
He said, "I saw you wanted to interact with the beluga whales today, so I found one of their staff and bought this plush toy. Do you like it?"
"These are someone else's props, why did you buy them?"
"New, no one has used it before."
"I mean, this shouldn't be sold to outsiders, you..."
Forget it, asking about money or anything else seems pointless.
Hua Deng pinched the beluga whale's cheek, subtly raising the corners of her mouth, and answered his previous question: "Very cute, I like it very much."
Shen Zhou then said, "If you like beluga whales, why don't you interact with them?"
Hua Deng paused for a moment, then, holding the beluga whale plushie, replied, "Because that's a children's game. As an adult, I can't compete with children for the chance to go on stage."
Shen Zhou said, "Let's book the whole place next time."
Hua Deng: "Huh?"
Shen Zhou skipped over that topic and asked another question that concerned him more: "Did you not have fun today?"
"Um?"
You don't seem very happy.
"..."
Hua Deng was surprised that he could notice. She had become accustomed to hiding her bad emotions, and even Su Yiqing had difficulty noticing them.
But since Shen Zhou had brought it up, she didn't deny it, and hugged the beluga whale plushie tightly: "No, I had a lot of fun today, really a lot of fun. It's just that I had a fight with my parents, so I'm not in a good mood."
"May I listen?"
The streetlights quieted down, and she ultimately didn't talk to him about what happened that night. Instead, she lay back on the bed and reminisced with him about some past events.
"When I was little, I lived with my maternal grandmother, and I was very happy every day back then."
She talked about how her grandmother would braid her hair, cook for her, watch cartoons with her, and take her to the amusement park.
"That amusement park was near the beach where I first met you. I used to ride the Ferris wheel there all the time when I was little. I even blew out the candles on it for my birthday once. But it's probably abandoned now. I heard they're going to tear it down and turn it into some kind of bookstore..."
She talked on and on, but before she knew it, her eyelids became heavy and she gradually fell asleep. When she opened her eyes again, it was already the next morning.
She stood there stunned for a long time, then slowly sat up and found that her earphones had fallen to the side of her pillow.
It is still connected.
She tentatively called out, "Are you still there?"
The response came almost immediately: "Yes, I'm here."
Hua Deng said, "You didn't sleep, did you?"
He said, "No, I just woke up too."
Hua Deng smiled and said, "You said you just arrived at Ocean Park yesterday."
He then said, "I've been awake for two hours."
Hua Deng glanced at the time; it was only eight in the morning. She exclaimed, "Do you get up at six every day?"
"almost."
The bright lights can only express admiration.
That day, she hardly took her headphones off, replacing them whenever they ran out of power. It was the first time she realized how strong her desire to share was; whenever she passed a flower shop and saw a fresh bouquet of flowers, she would describe it to him.
He always responded promptly. Hua Deng wasn't sure if he needed to work that day, but she figured if he was busy, he wouldn't be wearing headphones all the time, so she naturally overlooked the question.
She had no idea how distraught Jinze was as he assigned her tasks and kept uttering strange phrases like "Kikyo is beautiful," "What should we eat for lunch?" and "Be careful on the road."
The two maintained this relationship until the day Hua Deng was to attend a banquet.
At the banquet, the lights automatically detached from the parents and found Su Yiqing drinking in a corner.
In the past, Su Yiqing loved to search for handsome men in such situations, but now she can't. So she can only stay in a corner, drinking and silently swallowing her bitterness.
Hua Deng doesn't drink often, but this time he brought out a glass, and the two of them drank and sighed together.
Soon, a commotion arose in the crowd. Su Yi looked up and tugged at her lips, saying, "Hey, is this the one your parents wanted to introduce? She's quite good-looking."
Hua Deng replied dismissively, "I've seen it a few times before, it's nothing special."
Su Yiqing: "You really do prefer the one that looks better... Oh my god!"
Hua Deng: "What's wrong?"
Su Yiqing tugged at her forcefully: "Look, am I seeing things? How come you just say 'speak of the devil' and he appears!"
Hua Deng turned her head in confusion, and her eyes widened just like Su Yiqing's.
Wait a minute, that guy with the cold expression, the one everyone around him calls "Mr. Shen," isn't he the same person who was on the phone with her this morning?
He seemed to notice her, or rather, find her, and nodded slightly to her, put down his wine glass and walked over.
"How could it be him..." Hua Deng murmured.
She did know that Jin Ze had an uncle surnamed Shen, and that he was the one who single-handedly saved the Jin family from ruin. But she never imagined that this person was Shen Zhou.
Su Yiqing asked in shock, "So his watch is real?!"
Hua Deng: "Is this the key point?!"
What exactly is it that you care about so much?
Before she could dwell on the question, Shen Zhou had already walked up to her and offered his hand: "Want to dance with me?"
Hua Deng subconsciously looked at Su Yiqing, whom she had promised to be her dance partner.
Su Yiqing was so anxious she almost jumped up, and pushed her over directly, the meaning was clear: look at him, not me!
The bright lights, in a daze, touched the hand of the dark day.
As for the expressions on the faces of those around her, and her parents' expressions, she had no time to care and did not concern herself with them.
All she cared about was the warmth of his hand, his smiling eyes, and his soft voice: "Are you surprised?"
"...What do you think?"
"I should have told you sooner, but I think life needs surprises, doesn't it?"
"Any later and the surprise will turn into a shock," Hua Deng said irritably.
"Luckily I arrived in time," he said. "Want to come out with me?"
"What?"
"Since you don't like it here, would you like to come out with me?"
"May I?"
"If you want it, you can have it."
Hua Deng stopped walking: "I think."
He smiled slightly, took her hand, and walked outside ignoring everyone's gaze: "Perfect timing, I want to take you somewhere."
...
Hua Deng didn't know where he was taking her, but she knew this road all too well.
It's the road to the seaside where they first met.
Hua Deng naturally assumed that since she had said she would come here to relax when she was in a bad mood, he brought her here.
But just as they were about to arrive, the car turned and headed down another road.
Hua Deng paused for a few seconds, then realized that this was the way to that amusement park.
"Didn't I tell you? This place is abandoned..."
The car stopped, and Hua Deng paused in his conversation.
The sign indicating that the amusement park was about to be demolished was removed, and the old facilities awoke from their dusty state, shining with a faint but undeniable light.
The amusement park doors were wide open, as if to welcome their arrival.
"I've bought this place."
He said as he walked to the foot of the Ferris wheel.
"If I could make this Ferris wheel start turning again, would you be my girlfriend?"
A sea breeze caressed her face, and Hua Deng looked up at the familiar Ferris wheel. After a long while, she slowly spoke: "You don't need it to turn; I can still be your girlfriend."
Shen Zhou: "Alright, that's what I've been waiting for."
Hua Deng: "?"
Shen Zhou smiled, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers.
Rebuilding the amusement park would take a long time, and he certainly didn't want to wait until then if he could.
As the hand fell, colorful fireworks burst in the sky above the amusement park, starting with a large bouquet of lilacs, followed by lisianthus, baby's breath, lavender...
"The lilac symbolizes first love." Shen Zhou turned to her, magically producing a ring in his hand. "Would you like me to put it on your finger, girlfriend?"
Hua Deng's eyes curved into a smile as she extended her left hand: "Then I'll give you this chance."
"My pleasure."
After putting it on, the size was perfect; Hua Deng didn't know how he determined her finger size. She withdrew her hand and admired it for a moment, then suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Why are you wearing it on your ring finger?!"
Shen Zhou calmly took her hand; he had a matching ring on the ring finger of her left hand. He asked, "Is there a problem?"
"This is for proposing!"
"I'll get you a new one if I propose."
"You're thinking way too far ahead!"
"If you don't want to, there's nothing I can do. You're the one who made me wear it."
The two intertwined their fingers, and Hua Deng couldn't break free.
She could only sigh, "Yes, I was the one who was fooled."
She turned and looked up at the Ferris wheel, then at the starry sky and fireworks, her eyes sparkling with joy and happiness.
Shen Zhou still held her hand, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and whispered in her ear, "I love you. Please forgive me."
The lights seemed to laugh.
"Okay, well, I like you too, boyfriend."
[Author's Note]
It's officially over!
The beluga whale and the movie that followed were made up by me. The walrus movie was real, called "Trench," but I advise everyone not to search for it. Please don't, it's easy to get a critical hit from zero frames.
That concludes this side story. Dengdeng and Shen Zhou will live happily ever after in every timeline. This story will soon be marked as finished. If you enjoyed it, please leave a positive review!
Thank you all again for your continued support. The bonus chapter should be released in seven business days, around July 10th. I need to go prepare drafts for my next book now. See you again sometime!
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