Reborn as the Heartless Alpha - Chapter 53.1

“Miss Song, you can put me down now.”

Zhou Zhou’s voice suddenly rang out, breaking through the secret longing in Song Yi’s heart.

Flustered, Song Yi set Zhou Zhou down. The two of them walked toward the exit together; Song Yi breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Zhou Zhou didn’t seem to have noticed her sinful thoughts.

Just as they were about to step out of the haunted house, Zhou Zhou suddenly stopped in her tracks. Song Yi stopped along with her.

“What’s wrong?”

“The hat.” Zhou Zhou took the hat off her head, revealing her entire face as she looked up at Song Yi. Her eyes were questioning the origin of the hat.

Looking at Zhou Zhou’s hair, which was slightly disheveled from the hat’s static electricity, Song Yi said, “I snatched it off a ghost’s head when we first came in.”

Zhou Zhou’s eyes widened.

Song Yi raised her hand, wanting to help tidy her hair, but suddenly froze. She turned her head away and said unnaturally, “Zhou Zhou, your hair is messy.”

“Oh.” Zhou Zhou handed the hat to her and began fixing her hair herself.

Not far away, the group of “ghosts” had already stood up and were straightening their appearances. Some stood there quietly sizing up her and Zhou Zhou.

Holding the hat, Song Yi took a step toward them. She held it up and asked, “Whose hat is this?”

The ghost who had been robbed was hiding among the crowd, not daring to come forward. He felt that if he stepped out, he would surely be beaten.

After waiting a while with no one coming forward to claim it, Zhou Zhou finished tidying her hair. Song Yi looked at her and suggested, “Why don’t we buy it as a souvenir?”

Zhou Zhou blinked in confusion.

“After all, it’s our first time playing here,” Song Yi said, twirling the hat nimbly in her right hand as if mentioning it casually.

Zhou Zhou felt something was strange but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Was it because Miss Song thought stealing a hat from a ghost during her first visit to a haunted house was particularly meaningful?

Actually… it really was quite a memorable souvenir.

“Let’s go.” Song Yi instinctively reached out to take Zhou Zhou’s hand, but just as she was about to touch her wrist, she pulled away.

Terrifying. Since when did her hands become so restless?

Song Yi was startled by her own actions and, even more afraid of scaring Zhou Zhou, silently put some distance between them.

The moment they stepped out of the haunted house, Zhou Zhou saw Miss Song leap half a meter away from her side as if she were a virus. She could even feel the decisiveness in Miss Song’s movements.

I suppose it makes sense, Zhou Zhou thought. Miss Song has someone she likes now; it’s only normal to keep her distance.

At that moment, Song Yi had no idea what kind of assumptions Zhou Zhou was making. She found a staff member dressed in a pumpkin head who was soliciting tourists and told them she wanted to buy the hat in her hand.

The staff member was stunned, then said uncertainly, “The haunted house hasn’t developed this kind of service yet. But, since you’ve already brought the hat out, just keep it. You’re welcome to come back again next time.”

In haunted houses, it wasn’t uncommon for guests to violently hit the ghosts or snatch props. Usually, if a ghost was hit, they would receive compensation from the guest. As for the props, if they were snatched, they were snatched. Given the ticket price, the haunted house certainly wouldn’t lose money.

Song Yi didn’t dwell on it further. She accepted the “free” hat, and noticing Zhou Zhou watching her, she assumed Zhou Zhou wanted it. She handed it over and said, “Here, for you.”

Zhou Zhou took the hat, completely bewildered, wondering why Miss Song was giving her the souvenir.

Song Yi was already thinking about what to play next. She didn’t let Zhou Zhou choose directly this time, fearing she might pick something too intense again and scare herself. One fright a day was enough. If Zhou Zhou really wanted to do something thrilling, Song Yi could accompany her a few more times in the future.

What would be good?

Song Yi pulled the crumpled recommendation sheet from her pocket and scanned it twice. She found that the nearby attractions were relatively mild. She decided to wander around and decide based on Zhou Zhou’s reactions.

On the edge of a lawn nearby, an old man had a stall selling cotton candy. A few adults and children were gathered in front of him, presumably waiting in line.

Song Yi was somewhat curious. She wondered what cotton candy tasted like, as she had never had it before. She also wondered if Zhou Zhou would like it.

“Zhou Zhou.”

“Ah?” Zhou Zhou snapped out of her investigation of the souvenir and shifted her gaze from the hat to Song Yi.

“Want some cotton candy?” Song Yi leaned in slightly and asked with a smile.

Even though she had tried to keep her distance, she still unconsciously leaned toward Zhou Zhou.

Noticing the movement, Zhou Zhou’s eyes widened as if she had made a major discovery.

“What is it?” Song Yi unconsciously took another step closer.

Zhou Zhou shook her head, a small spark of joy rising in her heart. At the very least, she knew Miss Song didn’t dislike being near her.

Song Yi couldn’t get an answer and felt uneasy, staring at Zhou Zhou with searching eyes. Nothing had happened just now, and she had been by Zhou Zhou’s side the whole time; if something were wrong, she surely would have noticed.

“Are you really okay?” Song Yi took another step closer to be sure.

Zhou Zhou nodded, her expression appearing normal. Song Yi took yet another step forward, completely closing the distance she had previously created.

If I’m close, I’m close, Song Yi thought, gritting her teeth. It’s better than something happening to Zhou Zhou without me noticing.

Suddenly, Zhou Zhou tilted her small face up and smiled at her. “Miss Song, let me treat you to cotton candy.”

Before Song Yi could react, Zhou Zhou ran toward the small stall. Song Yi froze for a moment then hurried after her. On the way, she thought about how Zhou Zhou’s mind was more delicate than hers. Her own perception of emotions wasn’t very sensitive, so it was normal to sometimes fail to grasp Zhou Zhou’s feelings.

Zhou Zhou stopped in front of the stall. “Hello, Grandpa. I’d like two cotton candies, please.”

“I have an emergency and need to pack up. I only have one last one left, just freshly made. Do you want it, little girl?”

Zhou Zhou hesitated for a moment, then said, “I’ll take it.”

“That’ll be 15.”

She pulled some money from her pocket, paid, and took the cotton candy. As the old man pushed his cart away, Song Yi walked up and watched the scene with some surprise.

“Miss Song, this cotton candy is for you.” Zhou Zhou handed it to her.

“Thank you.” Song Yi took it. The cotton candy was colorful, with the largest arc in the middle, tapering off toward the ends.

Song Yi held the wooden stick and spun it a few times. “Was that the last one?”

“Yes.” When Zhou Zhou arrived, she saw the old man answer a call and start packing up; perhaps there was an emergency at home.

Song Yi handed the cotton candy back. “Actually, I don’t eat sweets.”

“Eh?” Zhou Zhou’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

She suspected Miss Song was just being polite because there was only one left and wanted her to have it instead.

“Really,” Song Yi said with a straight face.

When she was a child, her parents had strict requirements for her diet. They felt sugar was harmful to teeth and didn’t let her touch it, so she developed the habit of not eating sweets. Later, when she grew up and her parents were less restrictive, she felt too embarrassed to eat candy. She had certainly never tried cotton candy.

Even later, after her parents passed away, Song Yi felt that candy was “sticky and messy” and disliked it entirely.

When Zhou Zhou offered to treat her just now, she hadn’t reacted immediately because she was trying to determine if cotton candy was different from other sweets—it didn’t seem like it would be that sticky. By the time she reached a conclusion, Zhou Zhou had already bought it.

Buying only one was perhaps an act of fate. Although Song Yi was curious about the taste, she would never take it from Zhou Zhou. Besides, she always remembered the purpose of coming to the amusement park: to celebrate for Zhou Zhou and make her happy.

Zhou Zhou stared blankly at the cotton candy Miss Song handed back and didn’t take it.

The two were at a stalemate for a moment, which ended with Song Yi taking Zhou Zhou’s hand and stuffing the cotton candy back into it.

“Eat it.” Song Yi looked at Zhou Zhou with a soft gaze. Zhou Zhou’s face felt hot again. As she lowered her head to avoid Miss Song’s eyes, she took a bite of the cotton candy. It was like biting into a soft cloud.

So sweet.

This was also Zhou Zhou’s first time eating cotton candy. It was often sold at the school gates, but she would only look and never buy, because her money had to be saved for meals and other daily necessities. She almost never ate snacks.

Seeing the smile on Zhou Zhou’s face, Song Yi felt deeply satisfied.

After a few bites, Zhou Zhou looked up, her eyes blinking. “Does Miss Song really not want any?”

It was so big she couldn’t finish it; it felt like a waste.

Looking at Zhou Zhou’s beautiful eyes, which sparkled even in the night, Song Yi hesitated for a moment and said, “I’ll try a bit.”

The so-called “try” consisted of her gently pulling off a small piece with her fingers and putting it in her mouth.

It was indeed very sweet. The only thing she found novel was that the cotton-like sugar threads melted quickly in her mouth, rather than leaving behind the indigestible coarse fibers she had imagined.

Her fingers were also stained with a bit of sweetness—it was sticky.

“Does Miss Song want more?” Zhou Zhou held the cotton candy toward her.

Song Yi shook her head. She couldn’t handle this level of pure sugar.

Seeing that Miss Song truly didn’t like it, Zhou Zhou withdrew her hand. She continued eating while making a mental note: Miss Song doesn’t like things that are too sweet.

“Miss Song, what shall we play next?” Zhou Zhou asked, holding the bouquet of cotton candy.

Song Yi thought for a moment and said, “Let’s just walk and see.”

“Okay.” Zhou Zhou nodded. Her mission tonight was to cooperate with Miss Song.

Zhou Zhou took a few more bites but started to feel a bit overwhelmed by the sweetness. It was a good thing they only bought one; two would have been an even bigger waste. Since Miss Song only had one bite, Zhou Zhou lowered her hand, no longer really wanting to eat.

“Let’s go this way.” At a fork in the road, Song Yi looked down at the map and decided to head toward the busier street.

Along the way, Song Yi observed the nearby attractions. Occasionally, she would bump into Zhou Zhou. Since she was taller than Zhou Zhou, her arm often brushed against Zhou Zhou’s shoulder. Whenever this happened, she would pull away slightly, but she was no longer as distant as she had been before.

Suddenly, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Zhou Zhou had stopped. She stopped too, following Zhou Zhou’s gaze.

It was a shooting gallery.

Shooting was not unfamiliar to Song Yi; it used to be her favorite stress-relief activity after heavy work. Seeing it now, she felt a sense of familiarity, and a light of confidence sparked in her eyes.

“Let’s play this,” Song Yi suggested. She knew Zhou Zhou was too shy to make requests, so she could take the initiative to fulfill them.

Support Reborn as the Heartless Alpha