TLLKTBD CH 48

Chapter 48: If You Can’t See, I’ll Hold Your Hand

After finishing their fast-food lunch and taking a sufficient break, the four of them started looking for their next activity.

Jin Lang spotted a haunted house ahead with a short queue, so he pulled the others along to line up.

“I heard that the haunted house at Le Bao Amusement Park is really famous. The special effects are super realistic, and the lighting and sound effects make it even scarier. The overall atmosphere is terrifying—it’s ranked as one of the top haunted houses among all amusement parks,” Jin Lang read aloud from the information he found on his phone.

“Doesn’t that mean it’s really scary?” Xu Yang looked a little concerned.

“Are you scared?” Qi Shaobai stared at Xu Yang in disbelief. “You’re a grown man who’s been resting ever since that one Ferris wheel ride this morning, and now you’re afraid of a haunted house?” He leaned in and kindly reminded him, “Director Xu, this really doesn’t look good. Qian-ge will laugh at you.”

“Who said I was scared?” Xu Yang felt that Qi Shaobai was being ridiculous. Why should he care whether Lu Qian laughed at him? From start to finish, it was Qi Shaobai who had been laughing.

Xu Yang shot him a glare.

Qi Shaobai felt wronged—like a loyal dog getting scolded after trying to help.

The line wasn’t long. Perhaps the haunted house was too terrifying, so not many people dared to challenge it. Ahead of them, only a few parents with their brave children were waiting, and the staff even praised them for their courage.

The haunted house allowed only one group at a time, releasing them every ten minutes. When it was finally their turn, the staff looked a little surprised. “Just the four of you? Are you sure you want to go in?”

“Of course! We’re not scared,” Jin Lang was eager to enter, stretching his neck to peek inside.

The staff nodded, lifted the barrier to let them in, and smiled subtly. “Hope you all have fun.”

The four grown men lined up in a row and stepped inside. The door behind them shut, sealing off the outside light, plunging them into complete darkness. In the distance, the faint sound of children screaming echoed through the air.

“I’ll go first,” Xu Yang squeezed his way to the front, as if trying to prove his masculinity, disrupting the formation in the process. Behind him were Qi Shaobai and Jin Lang, with Lu Qian bringing up the rear.

Lu Qian had a slight case of night blindness and struggled to adjust to the darkness. Feeling disoriented, he murmured softly, “I can’t see.”

Jin Lang reached back and silently took hold of Lu Qian’s hand.

Lu Qian’s hand was soft, with long, slender fingers, and his palm was warm and dry. Unable to resist, Jin Lang gently rubbed the back of Lu Qian’s hand with his thumb. Then, with a subtle shift, he interlocked their fingers. In the darkness, both of their faces reddened slightly, their hearts pounding wildly.

Their rapid heartbeats were probably due to fear of the unknown, right? This haunted house must be terrifying.

After about thirty seconds of walking forward, electronic candles suddenly lit up ahead, revealing a row of grinning jack-o’-lanterns.

“……”

The four of them fell silent.

This haunted house… wasn’t quite what they had imagined.

Why did it seem… kind of cute?

Turning a corner, they found themselves in a softly illuminated space. Gentle shades of blue, green, yellow, and purple flickered across the walls. Inside a small room, fluorescent murals and mechanical figures came into view.

Dinosaurs!

The little dinosaurs roared in low, rumbling voices.

They wobbled back and forth, clanking noisily as they moved. Their wide-open jaws snapped as if trying to bite, and their tails swung from side to side with loud thuds. One even tripped and fell, but it continued moving in its programmed rhythm, pitifully dragging its backside along the ground—not intimidating at all.

“……”

A simulated volcano erupted, with a fan blowing red cellophane to create a crackling fire effect. Not far away, children’s screams continued, now mixed with the laughter of reassuring parents.

“There, there, baby. Don’t be scared. It’s all fake,” a parent’s voice cooed soothingly.

The four of them remained silent.

Realistic special effects? Terrifying lighting and sound? An overall horrifying atmosphere? …?

Suddenly, Qi Shaobai reacted, exclaiming, “This is a haunted house for babies!”

“…Huh?” Jin Lang’s voice came from the back. He sounded confused. “Isn’t this Haunted House No. 6?” He clearly remembered that every attraction had a number, and when they lined up earlier, he had seen a big ‘6’ marked on the haunted house entrance.

Qi Shaobai was laughing so hard he nearly couldn’t breathe. “Oh my god, Xiao Lang, that ‘6’ means it’s a play area for kids under six! I can’t—”

The other two burst out laughing as well.

“Oh wow, a haunted house for babies. The staff here are too cruel! They saw the four of us walk in and didn’t even try to stop us,” Xu Yang chuckled while scolding.

“Actually… they did,” Jin Lang scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Yeah, the staff asked if we were sure we wanted to go in, and Xiao Lang confidently answered, ‘Of course, we’re not scared,’” Qi Shaobai barely managed to hold in his laughter as he mimicked, “‘We’re not scared! We’re the bravest babies!’”

Xu Yang and Qi Shaobai laughed even harder, high-fiving each other.

Jin Lang laughed awkwardly along with them, but just then, he felt a slight squeeze on his hand.

From the moment they had entered the haunted house, he and Lu Qian had been holding hands, their fingers interlocked. And now, Lu Qian had suddenly given his hand a gentle squeeze.

Jin Lang turned his head, only to meet Lu Qian’s sparkling, amused eyes.

Lu Qian raised a hand, mimicking the movement of a tiny dinosaur paw. Then, squinting his eyes playfully, he let out a small, dramatic roar—“Awoo!”—as if showing off his fierce dominance.

Too cute.

Jin Lang leaned in, barely restraining the urge to kiss the smiling Lu Qian right then and there.

“Xiao Lang, let’s go.”

Xu Yang and Qi Shaobai had already reached the exit. Qi Shaobai noticed that Jin Lang and Lu Qian weren’t following and called out to them, ruining the perfect moment.

“We’re coming.”

This time, it was Lu Qian who spoke first. Panicked, he instinctively placed a hand against Jin Lang’s chest, stopping him from leaning in any closer.

He had only wanted to tease Jin Lang a little, but he hadn’t expected Jin Lang to suddenly move toward him. His mind had gone completely blank, so much so that he had even forgotten to dodge. It wasn’t until Qi Shaobai called out to them that he snapped back to reality.

Jin Lang looked at him, a clear trace of disappointment in his gaze.

At this moment, he wasn’t a mighty Simba at all—just a pitiful, wronged puppy.

Lu Qian couldn’t help but find it amusing. The moment of panic from almost being kissed faded away.

What was there to panic about?

Jin Lang wanted to kiss him.

And he… didn’t he want that too?

If what Xu Yang had said was true, then what was the point of resisting?

Lu Qian took a step forward, glancing around to make sure no one was nearby. Then, slowing his pace, he waited for the dejected Jin Lang to catch up.

Just as Jin Lang reached his side, Lu Qian suddenly turned back, swiftly pressing a light, fleeting kiss to his lips before retreating just as quickly.

But Jin Lang was faster.

Before Lu Qian could step away, Jin Lang grabbed the back of his head, pulling him in for a deep, lingering kiss. His tongue swept over Lu Qian’s lips possessively.

In the distance, thunder rumbled, and purple lightning flickered across the sky.

Did he just get struck by lightning?

Lu Qian’s heart skipped a beat, his entire body tingling from head to toe.

Jin Lang nibbled lightly on Lu Qian’s lower lip before finally letting go. His large hand, which had been cradling the back of Lu Qian’s head, slid down along his face, brushing over his neck, his collarbones, his shoulders—trailing down his arm until he found Lu Qian’s hand once more.

Intertwining their fingers again, Jin Lang’s deep, husky voice murmured in the dim light—

“You can’t see, so I’ll hold your hand.”

(To be continued…)