Chapter 181: None of them are good
On May 7th, the primary school textbooks were delivered to their door.
Jiang He, curious, wanted to open them, but Xu Qing stopped her, carrying the two packages of books back to his room.
If she opened that package, her laughter might not be as bright anymore.
"Let’s go out tomorrow," he suggested.
A day out before she starts school was part of Xu Qing’s plan. Life should have a sense of ritual.
"Where are we going?"
"The amusement park. It’s the three days after the holiday, so it should be pretty quiet, with almost no lines."
Jiang He had no objections and turned to the computer to search for amusement parks. Just from the name, she thought it sounded fun.Among the suggested links, there was one titled: “What should you do when taking your girlfriend to the amusement park?” Curious, she clicked on it. Below were several responses:
- “Put everything aside and do your best to protect her, bring her joy, and make her happy. Women should live like little kids—give her plenty of happiness and security, and you’ll win her heart. Once you have her heart, the rest will follow. Good luck!”
- “Bring enough cash. Whatever she wants to play, play with her. Whatever she wants to eat, buy it for her. Whatever she wants to shop for, just buy it!”
- “Kiss her.”
- “Hold her hand and enjoy yourselves.”
- "..."
"You’re practically strategizing for yourself, you know that?" Xu Qing, glancing over her shoulder, couldn’t help but laugh.
No wonder she was learning so quickly—look at the stuff she reads daily.
"What strategy?" Jiang He nonchalantly closed the page.
"It means before I even get a chance to do anything for you, you’re already preparing yourself."
"And you haven’t prepared?"
"Well... that’s not important."
Xu Qing didn’t want to explain further. If everything could be quantified, he might’ve only contributed 60%, while the remaining 40% was Jiang He "strategizing" on her own.
"Love is mutual. Otherwise, I would’ve already been slapped into a wall."
He stretched his arms and legs before starting to practice boxing again, determined to earn a better position in their future family hierarchy.
Jiang He didn’t comment, instead curling up in her chair with Winter Melon, the fan blowing on her. The weather had been strange recently—fine in the mornings but getting progressively hotter in the afternoons. Sometimes, the sunlight pouring in through the windows was so intense that she had to draw the curtains to keep the heat out.
Her right hand lazily clicked around on the computer as she watched Xu Qing diligently practicing. Stretching her legs onto the sofa, she swung them a couple of times, completely at ease.
"You trick me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. If you deceive me a third time, we’re both scum," she suddenly said.
"Huh?"
Xu Qing paused mid-punch and looked at her.
"That’s what this Westerner named Stephen said." Jiang He pointed at the computer screen.
Xu Qing felt a rare sense of accomplishment.
By the time he gave her the practice books, she’d graduate primary school in no time.
The next day was overcast, with a cool breeze that felt refreshing, not noisy.
After breakfast and tidying up, Jiang He followed Xu Qing’s advice—applying some lip balm, tying her hair into a neat ponytail, and donning a baseball cap.
She wore a white short-sleeved shirt paired with a thin, sun-protective jacket and high-waisted, wide-leg pants, giving her a sleek and elongated silhouette.
But next to Xu Qing’s 1.8-meter tall frame, she still looked petite. Alone, she looked tall; together, she seemed small.
"Why do I need to wear a hat?"
Not used to the baseball cap, Jiang He kept wanting to adjust it—it blocked part of her view.
"For sun protection. I don’t feel like carrying an umbrella."
"Then why aren’t you wearing one?"
"I’m not afraid of the sun." Xu Qing stepped outside to check the weather, then took Jiang He’s hat and put it on himself. "You can wear it later when the sun gets stronger."
Jiang City Amusement Park was on the outskirts, requiring one bus transfer. Following their planned route, they tapped their bus QR codes on their phones and sat in the back, waiting for their stop.
With Xu Qing’s help, she had no issues handling anything that required identification—whether it was Xu Qing’s ID card, WeChat, or phone calls. Her daily life was completely sorted.
"I’ve ridden every bus route listed on this sign," Jiang He whispered smugly.
"Impressive."
"You wearing that cap makes you look like a criminal on TV."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"If that chubby cop saw you, he’d definitely check you out. You really look suspicious—only missing a mask."
Jiang He mimicked covering her mouth, recalling how the villains in the movies they’d watched together all had the same shady look: baseball caps pulled low, acting all furtive.
"If you’d stop whispering like you’re plotting a heist, you’d seem more normal," Xu Qing said, his ears tickled by her warm breath. "By the way, have you noticed you’ve been talking more lately?"
Though her chatterbox tendencies were endearing, Jiang He’s sneaky antics, all while accusing him of looking like a criminal...
"I can’t talk loudly," Jiang He said, pointing to a poster that read, "Please don’t speak loudly in the cabin." She leaned back into her seat, resuming her composed "lady knight" demeanor.
Xu Qing glanced out the window, a smile he couldn’t suppress playing on his lips.
At her core, Jiang He was just a girl in her prime—full of energy. Her previously reserved and slightly wooden demeanor was likely the result of years of repression. As her true self emerged, she’d probably love games, movies, music...
Oh, and romance.
But she liked to pretend to be calm. Xu Qing glanced sideways at her, curious if she’d maintain her composure at the amusement park.
It took nearly an hour to reach the park entrance. Jiang He started toward the ticket booth, but Xu Qing pulled her the other way.
He took her to a small shop nearby, where he bought two bottles of water and casually asked the shopkeeper, "Got any discount tickets?"
"Sure do!"
The shopkeeper had just opened his mouth to offer discounted tickets when Xu Qing cut him off. With a knowing smile, the shopkeeper retrieved two adult tickets from under the counter and pushed them over along with the water.
"One hundred eighty yuan. If you buy them at the window, it’s two hundred sixty."
"Cheaper than online?" Xu Qing examined the tickets. "They’re valid, right?"
Jiang He, overhearing the price, winced. But then realizing the discount, she wasn’t sure whether to complain about the cost or celebrate the savings.
"Of course! My shop’s right here—it’s not like I can run away. Employee perks." The shopkeeper winked as Xu Qing paid, wishing them a fun time.
As they left the shop, Jiang He took the tickets from Xu Qing, inspecting them curiously.
"Why are they so much cheaper?"
"They’re employee perks or extras that get resold. As long as the place isn’t packed with scalpers fighting over tickets, you can usually find deals like this for attractions, concerts, and so on."
Xu Qing glanced back at the shop, explaining with a grin, "Some people are clever at making money; others, like you, are clever at saving it."
"Doesn’t that mean the official ticket booths lose out?"
"Depends. Sometimes they release extra tickets to boost foot traffic; other times, it’s just loopholes people exploit."
"How do you know so much?"
"When you figure out why I know, you’ll know too."
Xu Qing thought for a moment before adding, "There’s a term called the ‘curse of knowledge.’ I know a lot of things but can’t always explain how I know them. Maybe someday, when you’ve experienced enough, you’ll suddenly realize—oh, so that’s how it works."
"Curse of knowledge?"
"Yeah. You can’t understand why some people are so foolish, and they can’t understand what you’re saying. It’s like an information gap—tied to experience, perspective, logic... everything. Understand?"
"I understand. You’re the foolish one," Jiang He said with a nod.
"Alright, I am."
Jiang He swung Xu Qing’s finger as she looked away.
Xu Qing smiled indulgently. With all the books he’d bought her, how could she not understand?
They scanned their tickets at the entrance and picked up a park map. Neither carried much—Jiang He had her bear-shaped backpack, while Xu Qing just kept his phone and keys in his pocket. Each held a bottle of water as they walked inside.
Jiang City Amusement Park spanned over 600 acres, divided into nine themed zones. On weekends or holidays, the lines could be so long it was impossible to experience everything. But today, just after the holiday, only a handful of visitors wandered the park. Some attractions even required waiting for enough people to start a ride.
"Is this a place just for having fun?"
Hearing nearby screams, Jiang He’s girlish curiosity gave way to a more serious expression. The massive steel structures filled her with unease.
Looking up, she saw a giant spinning wheel with people strapped to it, spinning round and round...
"Try it once, and you’ll understand!"
Xu Qing felt nervous too. Though Jiang City had only one amusement park, this was his first visit. But fear or not, with tickets costing over a hundred yuan each, he wasn’t going to waste them.
At the waiting area for the ride, Xu Qing and Jiang He placed their belongings in a nearby temporary locker and sat down. Jiang He, still wearing a grave expression, muttered uneasily, "I think this is kind of scary. Are you sure this isn’t some kind of punishment device?"
She was clearly nervous but tried her best to appear calm.
"…You’re so strong. Even if something happened, you could just fly away, right?" Xu Qing wasn’t entirely sure. "Or... should I try it first?"
"I..."
Jiang He thought about what she’d read on Baidu last night, shook her head, and discreetly tugged at the harness and safety belt on the chair. It felt secure, and she let out a small sigh of relief.
"Welcome to the Super Giant Swing..."
The staff member in the control room enthusiastically introduced the ride, accompanied by booming dynamic music. Slowly, the enormous pendulum started to move.
As it began to rise, Xu Qing regretted everything.
This was some kind of punishment device!
The machine swung higher and higher, spinning wildly.
Three minutes. Neither long nor short, but in that moment, it felt like an eternity. Normally, it would take just as much time to visit the restroom, but now every second stretched on unbearably.
Xu Qing shut his eyes in despair, his hand aching as Jiang He squeezed it with a vise-like grip. The overwhelming sensation of weightlessness surrounded him from all directions.
"Time flies when you're having fun..."
The staff’s voice came through the speakers, and the pendulum began to slow down. The surrounding screams also gradually subsided.
When they got off, Xu Qing’s legs nearly gave out.
He turned to look at Jiang He, whose face was as pale as a sheet.
Neither said a word as they retrieved their belongings and exited with the crowd. Finding a bench nearby, they sat down silently.
"Do you want to go again?" Xu Qing asked hesitantly.
"Do you?" Jiang He countered.
"You’re so skilled in martial arts. How can you be scared?"
"If I weren’t strapped in, I wouldn’t mind jumping down from that height. But being tied up and spun around... that’s terrifying."
"So... having your feet on the ground feels safer, right?"
"Exactly."
“…”
“…”
Not far away, more screams erupted from another group of riders.
"Want to try something else?" Jiang He asked, looking serious. "I could watch you."
"How about I watch you instead?" Xu Qing replied dryly.
He couldn’t help but curse silently at Wang Zijun, who’d once enthusiastically recommended this place. That guy must have been trying to set him up. Xu Qing could already picture it—Wang Zijun, face pale, accompanying his girlfriend to ride this and that, only for her to eagerly drag him into another queue. At that point, Wang Zijun would "coincidentally" receive a phone call, yell, "We’re at the amusement park! Come join us!" and rope others into suffering alongside him.
"How do they even enjoy this stuff?" Jiang He asked, glancing up at the people swinging high above.
"Maybe they were forced into it," Xu Qing mused. "If a girlfriend wants to ride, the boyfriend has no choice but to go along."
"Well, I won’t make you do that," Jiang He declared.
"…Which means our relationship still needs work," Xu Qing quipped.
"Would you go along with me if I wanted to?" Jiang He pressed.
"I wouldn’t," Xu Qing admitted.
They both realized how pointless the conversation was. Neither had the courage to go back on the ride.
"If this were used as punishment in a prison," Jiang He speculated, "anyone who disobeyed could be strapped in and spun around for a few hours..."
The mental image made them both shudder.
Too terrifying.
Looking around, Xu Qing noted that the park itself was quite scenic, aside from the constant screaming. "How about we just take some pictures instead?" he suggested.
"Good idea!" Jiang He agreed eagerly.
After sitting for a while to recover, they drank their water, snapped a few photos, and set off to find a restroom.
While waiting for Jiang He to finish, Xu Qing rubbed his hands and unfolded the park map. That’s when he remembered there were gentler attractions, like the carousel...
Sure, it might be embarrassing for a grown man to ride a merry-go-round, but if it was to accompany his girlfriend, it would make sense.
Jiang He emerged from the restroom, drying her hands. Feeling the heat of the sun, she took the baseball cap from Xu Qing’s tilted head and placed it firmly on her own.
"Why are you always so quick in the restroom?" she asked.
"Because I’m a guy."
"You don’t... wipe or anything?"
"Huh?" Xu Qing gave her a puzzled look. "Wait, do you girls always wipe?"
"Scoundrel!" Jiang He snapped.
"..."
Double standards!
Xu Qing ignored her and put the map away, pointing to the distance. "Let’s try the carousel."
"You still want to play?" Jiang He flinched.
"This one doesn’t fly up or spin wildly. It’s like riding a horse."
"…Fine, let’s take a look," Jiang He said, pulling the brim of her cap down skeptically.
If it ended up being another ride that involved being strapped in and flung into the air, she was fully prepared to let Xu Qing ride it alone.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter