After Getting Bound to Both the Protagonist and the Villain at the Same Time - Chapter 19

Humanity’s pursuit of thrills is truly timeless.

As they stepped off the roller coaster, Lin Chuyi’s legs felt like jelly. It was as if her limbs no longer belonged to her, trembling uncontrollably from the residual shock. Her nerves were still humming with the aftershocks of the ride—a lingering peak of exhilarating, inexplicable joy.

“Now that is a roller coaster,” Lin Chuyi couldn’t help but exhale.

As is tradition, the exit path led through a small room displaying ride photos. At a fixed point during the smooth conclusion of the ride, the park’s cameras had captured a candid shot of the entire car. Seeing a photo of herself and Lin

Chuyi, Shen Qing slowed her pace.

Lin Chuyi noticed her hesitation and tilted her head. “Shall we go pick one out?”

The photo booth was clearly a major revenue stream for the park. Shen Qing looked at the twenty-yuan price tag for a photo that would normally cost a single yuan to print elsewhere and hesitated. She eventually shook her head, signaling to Lin Chuyi that she didn’t need it.

Lin Chuyi read her mind instantly. Taking Shen Qing’s hand, she led her to the counter. “If you like it, let’s take it home. It’ll be a wonderful memory.”

Shen Qing watched blankly as Lin Chuyi selected two small keychain accessories. The clerk cropped the image to focus on the two of them and encased them in the charms.

Shen Qing took her keychain, gazing at the moment frozen in time. It had been taken during the final stretch of the ride, just as the tracks leveled out.

In the photo, Lin Chuyi wore a radiant, soaring smile. She seemed curious about the black lens perched nearby and was looking directly into it; even in a still image, her free-spirited energy was palpable.

Shen Qing, meanwhile, was gazing intently at Lin Chuyi. Her eyes were shimmering, filled with an emotion that seemed ready to overflow the frame.

After tucking their keychains away, they moved on to other attractions. They couldn’t miss the park’s classics: the carousel and the haunted house.

This particular haunted house wasn’t massive, but its layout was a labyrinth of twists and turns, making the journey feel much longer than it actually was. The park had meticulously crafted a macabre atmosphere—pale lights flickering against skulls, blood-stained mannequins lunging from the shadows, and a chilling, low-pitched laugh that seemed designed to scare the very soul out of anyone passing by.

Shen Qing knew everything inside was fake, so she wasn’t afraid. What she didn’t expect, however, was that Lin Chuyi would be terrified.

Shen Qing’s eyes crinkled with a hidden smile.

Earlier, while they were queuing outside in the bright light, Lin Chuyi had looked at the props with curiosity, showing no sign of fear. “These don’t look that scary,” she had remarked, eyeing the crude decorations. “Just some strips of cloth dipped in red dye.”

“Mm,” Shen Qing had nodded. She knew they were fakes, and besides, she felt that even if ghosts were real, they were nothing to fear. She had already encountered the most terrifying kind of people; no ghost could compare to that.

But as the line moved toward the entrance, the environment naturally grew dim. At some point, Lin Chuyi fell silent, her lips pressed tight. As intermittent screams echoed from within, she instinctively reached out and pinched a corner of Shen Qing’s sleeve.

“Let’s hold hands in a moment. Whatever you do, don’t get separated,” Lin Chuyi whispered.

“You’ve picked a great time to visit,” a staff member at the door pitched to them. “We’ve just upgraded the attraction with several live NPCs to make it even more interactive and fun!”

“There are live actors?” Lin Chuyi’s eyes widened.

She had visited haunted houses before, but they were usually a straight, single-file line. She would often just close her eyes and follow the person in front, and by the time she opened them, she’d be at the exit. Because she always played them that way, her only memory of haunted houses was “eyes closed, eyes open.”

“It’s okay,” Shen Qing said, taking Lin Chuyi’s hand. Her dry, warm palm pressed against Lin Chuyi’s skin, seemingly warming her heart for a fleeting second. “I’ll protect you. As long as we don’t let go, we won’t get lost.”

“Right.” Lin Chuyi managed a small smile.

Inside, the air felt several degrees colder. Visibility was extremely limited; the only light came from the faint glow-in-the-dark markers on the floor indicating the path. Lin Chuyi gripped Shen Qing’s hand tightly, moving forward in tiny, cautious steps with her eyes squeezed shut.

Lin Chuyi’s hand was soft—softer than in any of Shen Qing’s dreams. Shen Qing hardly dared to squeeze back, cradling the hand with utmost care. This sense of being needed filled her with a profound, quiet joy.

The scenery was standard fare: the sound of dripping water mixed with synthesized ghostly wails. It seemed like a typical haunted house until—bam! A giant face suddenly slammed against a glass partition in the wall.

The group entering with them shrieked in unison. Shen Qing didn’t flinch, but Lin Chuyi, who only dared to peek at the floor markers and never at the walls, fortunately missed the jump-scare entirely.

Still, it only made Lin Chuyi more tense.

They soon reached a circular clearing. Someone in the group suggested they had to find a hidden mechanism to exit the room. The braver members began feeling along the rocky texture of the walls.

Suddenly, a light flashed within the group, and a deathly pale face appeared right in their midst. The group scattered in a panic. The NPC “ghost,” clearly enjoying the chaos, began chasing them around the clearing, primarily focused on blocking anyone from reaching the exit switch.

Shen Qing reacted instantly. The moment the “ghost” appeared, she swiftly pushed Lin Chuyi into a corner, pinning her against the wall to shield her.

In this pitch-black environment where you couldn’t see your own hand in front of your face, the best strategy was to stay put and search the walls slowly rather than running blindly.

Shen Qing had intended to find a safe spot for Lin Chuyi before looking for the switch herself. But as she pressed close, their bodies brushed against each other, and a soft, involuntary whimper escaped Lin Chuyi’s lips.

Both of them froze.

Shen Qing was standing so close that Lin Chuyi hadn’t realized how much the girl had grown. Their breaths were now hopelessly intertwined, their rhythms falling into a shared, heavy cadence.

The “ghost” was still prowling the clearing, sending people running in all directions, but Lin Chuyi and Shen Qing were tucked away in their own private corner. Lin Chuyi felt herself flushing hot; she leaned against the cool wall, desperate for some relief.

But every time Lin Chuyi tried to create an inch of distance, Shen Qing instinctively closed the gap. They were pressed flush against the wall. Shen Qing’s voice, now a low, magnetic hum, whispered soothingly, “Don’t be afraid, Sister.”

In her dazed state, Lin Chuyi felt a sudden, sharp realization of how much Shen Qing had matured. Her eyelashes fluttered instinctively.

When sight is stripped away in the darkness, other senses become hyper-alert. Lin Chuyi could feel the coldness of the wall and the intense, scorching heat of Shen Qing’s breath.

Her legs suddenly went weak.

In an instant, Shen Qing’s hand clamped firmly around Lin Chuyi’s soft waist. With an undeniable, dominant strength, she pinned Lin Chuyi securely against the wall.

Lin Chuyi’s heart hammered against her ribs. For a split second, she had the overwhelming feeling that Shen Qing was going to lean in and—ha—