LHKE Ch37

He smiled a little helplessly, his handsome brows and eyes filled with laughter, a moment captured in the girl’s phone.

“Oh no, we’ve been caught…” The girl who had been secretly taking pictures lowered her head in embarrassment, her face turning a bit red.

“And he’s still smiling! Who could resist that…?” The girl sitting next to her quickly ducked her head, too nervous to look at Shen Li and Lu Changting anymore.

“What’s up?” Lu Changting asked Shen Li.

Shen Li decided not to call out the girls at the neighboring table for secretly taking photos. Instead, he said, “I was thinking of asking the girls at the next table to help us take a picture together.”

Lu Changting smiled, “I’ll go ask them.”

“…The guy with the headband is coming over.” The girl at the neighboring table sneaked a quick glance, then quickly looked down, panicking as she saw Lu Changting getting up and walking toward them. “What do we do? Are they going to ask us to delete the photos? Oh no…”

“Hello.” It only took a few steps to cross the space between the tables, and in just a moment, Lu Changting was standing in front of them, politely asking, “Could we ask you to take a picture of us together?”

“Huh?” The girl who had been taking the photos was momentarily stunned, but quickly nodded, “Yes, of course!”

Lu Changting handed her his phone, “Thank you.”

Holding the phone, she found herself meeting Shen Li’s clear, bright eyes through the camera lens. Her face heated up, and she couldn’t stop her hands from trembling slightly.

She hurriedly pressed the shutter several times, then checked to make sure none of the photos were blurry before quickly handing the phone back. “All done.”

Lu Changting took the phone, glanced at the photos, and thanked her again.

“You’re welcome,” she said, nervously fidgeting with her clothing. After a brief hesitation, she asked, “Are you two a couple?”

Lu Changting raised an eyebrow and replied with a question, “Do we not look like one?”

“You do,” the girl said, relieved that they didn’t seem offended. “That’s wonderful.”

In a soft voice, she added, “I wish you all the best.”

Hearing her kind words, Lu Changting smiled.

Shen Li, also smiling, mimicked her tone, “Thank you so much!”

The girl’s face turned completely red, and she hurried back to her table.

…

After eating, they rested for a while before Shen Li and Lu Changting rented a small boat to leisurely cruise around the lake and take in the scenery.

Feeling a bit tired, Shen Li leaned against Lu Changting’s shoulder and played on his phone. Just then, a message from Jiang Chifeng popped up on WeChat, likely prompted by Shen Li’s recent social media post.

Jiang Chifeng asked, “You guys went to the amusement park?”

Shen Li slowly typed out a reply: “Mm.”

Jiang Chifeng responded almost immediately: “Lu Changting looks surprisingly cute with the little devil horns, haha.”

Shen Li’s lips curved up slightly. “I think he’s really cute too.”

Jiang Chifeng then asked, “Did you guys go to the haunted house?”

Shen Li glanced over at the haunted house in the distance and replied, “Not yet. We’re on a boat right now, planning to go later.”

Jiang Chifeng: “Friendly reminder: when you go to the haunted house, make sure to keep a close eye on your man.”

Shen Li was puzzled and replied with a question mark.

Recalling his last experience in a haunted house with Wei Wenxing, Jiang Chifeng felt a twinge of frustration. “The haunted house has all kinds of ‘ghosts,’ including… pervy ones.”

The staff there blend in with the scenes, not only scaring people but also targeting handsome men, taking the opportunity to grope or hug them under the guise of the act.

At that time, when a female ghost grabbed his wrist, he was completely stunned. It was midsummer, but the air conditioning in the haunted house was set low, making the ghost’s hand icy cold, sending chills through his body. It took him a lot of effort to shake off the ghost, only to turn around and see another female ghost hugging Wei Wenxing. He was so angry he nearly lost his temper.

After hearing Jiang Chifeng’s story, Shen Li suddenly didn’t feel like going to the haunted house anymore.

Lu Changting glanced at the WeChat chat window, noticing that Shen Li was chatting with Jiang Chifeng. Feeling a bit displeased, he spoke up to make his presence known, “What are you talking about?”

“Jiang Chifeng said there are pervy ghosts in the haunted house.”

Before Shen Li could ask, “Can we not go to the haunted house?” Lu Changting frowned and said, “Then we won’t go. You’re so good-looking, what if the pervy ghosts take advantage of you?”

Shen Li couldn’t help but laugh softly, “You’re good-looking too. Aren’t you worried about them taking advantage of you?”

“That’s also unacceptable.” Lu Changting said seriously, “Only you are allowed to take advantage of me.”

“Then we won’t go,” Shen Li replied to Jiang Chifeng, then put his phone away. “Let’s ride the cable car later, then the Ferris wheel, and then just wander around a bit before heading home.”

“Okay.” Lu Changting agreed without any objections. “We’ll do what you want.”

The warm afternoon sunlight made them feel a bit drowsy. They took a nap on the boat, passing over an hour until the sun’s intensity had waned. Then, they finally got out of the lake and went to ride the cable car.

The cable car was built on a high tower by the lake, and there were many people in line. The two of them chatted casually while waiting, so they didn’t feel bored.

They chose a cable car without doors, only a railing. When they first got on, the cable car swayed slightly, but soon stabilized. The view from the cable car was wonderful—emerald water, green trees, lush flowers, and the sunlight sparkling across the lake. They could even see a few birds perched on the treetops.

A breeze blew by, and Shen Li squinted his eyes in contentment.

He was genuinely happy, his long legs unconsciously swinging back and forth. He looked left and right, pointing out a sparrow perched on a utility pole to Lu Changting.

Lu Changting saw the joy in Shen Li’s eyes and couldn’t help but smile as well.

“You’re really easy to please, Shen Xiao Li. Everything makes you happy.”

The love he had suppressed and restrained for so many years could now be freely expressed, and his whole heart was devoted to Lu Changting. Naturally, everything he did with him was joyful.

Shen Li touched the little devil horns on Lu Changting’s head. He knew he was getting a bit carried away, but he didn’t want to hold back, “This is my first time in a relationship, and my first time at an amusement park, so everything feels wonderful.”

He continued, “Even waiting in line is fun, and I’m happy just being in the sun. Everything makes me happy.”

“I used to think that spending an hour or two waiting in line just to enjoy a few minutes on a ride was meaningless,” Lu Changting said. “But now I realize that what was meaningless was never the waiting or the rides—it was the people I was with.”

He paused, his eyes filled with gentle laughter, “Being with you makes me very happy too.”

After getting off the cable car, they went to queue up for the Ferris wheel.

Most of the people in line were couples, though there were also some friends. The line was long, and everyone was chatting or playing on their phones to pass the time. No one paid much attention to him and Lu Changting, perhaps because most of the people in this line were young and more accepting.

Shen Li noticed two boys dressed as students. He thought he was just imagining things, but then one of the taller boys noticed him and Lu Changting holding hands. He then took his friend’s hand and smiled at Shen Li.

Shen Li smiled back before looking away.

He thought, this world could use a little more color. Love is free, and so are we.

After over an hour in line, it was finally their turn.

The evening sky was painted with vibrant hues, layers of clouds floating above, reflecting on the lake below. Shen Li leaned against Lu Changting’s shoulder, smelling the faint scent of sweat on him. Through the window, he could see the serene river and the sky ablaze with the setting sun. Although his body was tired after a day of fun, his heart felt calm.

As the Ferris wheel slowly reached its highest point, Lu Changting turned to look at him, feeling a bit nervous for some reason, “Should we kiss?”

“Superstitious,” Shen Li replied with a smile, his handsome face bathed in the glow of the sunset. His eyes were gentle as he leaned in to kiss him.

There’s a legend that if a couple kisses at the top of a Ferris wheel, they will love each other forever.

As the soft kiss landed on his lips, Shen Li whispered to him at the highest point of the Ferris wheel, “Then I’ll entrust my life to you.”

After getting off the Ferris wheel, Shen Li’s face was slightly red.

Lu Changting dragged him back to the amusement park, where he bought him a black devil horn headband, strange masks, stuffed animals, cotton candy—almost everything he saw.

Shen Li was holding a pile of things and couldn’t help but laugh when he saw that Lu Changting had bought all the balloons from a girl selling them. “We’re about to go home, why are you buying all this stuff?”

“Whatever others have, you should have too.” Lu Changting tied all the balloons together, leaving a short length of string, and carefully tied it to Shen Li’s wrist. As he touched the red string that Shen Li always wore, he casually asked, “Who gave you this red string?”

“I got it from the Matchmaker Temple,” Shen Li replied with a sigh. Worried that Lu Changting hadn’t had enough fun and might continue shopping, he quickly added, “I’m tired. Let’s go home.”

Lu Changting took all the things he was holding so that he could eat the cotton candy. “When we have time, let’s go to the Matchmaker Temple.”

Lu Changting said, “I want to get a red string too.”

Shen Li handed him the cotton candy and then carefully untied the red string from his wrist, “Hold out your hand.”

Lu Changting extended his hand, watching as Shen Li lowered his head to tie the red string around his wrist. His heart felt like it was filled with so much chocolate—so sweet and so soft.

“Wearing my red string means you’re mine,” Shen Li said, looking up at him with such seriousness that it made Lu Changting’s heart skip a beat.

“I’ve already been yours for a long time,” he said, holding Shen Li’s hand tightly, “Are you thinking of backing out?”

“I wouldn’t back out,” Shen Li said softly. “I went through a lot to get this, how could I back out?”

Lu Changting glanced at the red string on his wrist and smiled, “Let’s go home.”