Stop Being a Black Lotus, Okay? - Chapter 8

The amusement park on the weekend was as boisterous as a pot of boiling water.

Colorful balloons drifted under the azure sky. The cloying scent of cotton candy mingled with the buttery aroma of popcorn, while the screams from the roaring roller coasters intertwined with the cheerful music of the carousel. Children skipped along, holding their parents’ hands, and couples walked with interlocked fingers; everyone wore a mask of unshielded joy.

By the time Lu Min parked the car, Ying Yulian was still sitting in the passenger seat, his fingers unconsciously picking at the seatbelt buckle. He gazed through the window at the overly vibrant, noisy world outside. Was this really the reward his brother had promised him for his exams?

Compared to playing with loud, clumsy children, he would much rather be squeezed into their warm home with Lu Min. A world belonging only to the two of them.

“Get out,” Lu Min said, unbuckling his seatbelt. The voice pulled Ying Yulian back to reality.

Ying Yulian followed him out and stood at the entrance of the park. Today, he was wearing the new clothes Lu Min had bought him: a light blue hooded sweatshirt and beige casual pants, paired with clean white sneakers. This outfit made him look like an ordinary middle school student, though the caution in his eyes betrayed him.

Lu Min went to buy the tickets. Standing at the ticket window, his tall, upright figure stood out remarkably in the crowd. Several young girls stole glances at him, whispering among themselves, only to look away hurriedly when he turned his head. Lu Min was either oblivious to this or simply did not care. He paid the fee and walked back with two all-day passes.

“Let’s go.” He handed one pass to Ying Yulian.

The youth took the small slip of paper, his fingertips tracing the printed cartoon patterns. He carefully tucked it into his sweatshirt pocket and pressed down on it to ensure it would not fall out.

They entered the park. As the crowd surged, Lu Min naturally walked on the outside, using his body to shield the boy from the throng of people. Ying Yulian walked by his side, his eyes darting around like a startled fawn. The massive Ferris wheel turned slowly, the pirate ship traced a thrilling arc in the air, and laughter and the sound of collisions echoed from the bumper car arena.

Everything was too bright, too noisy, and too… normal. It was so normal that it left him at a loss.

“What do you want to play?” Lu Min asked, his voice clear despite the clamor.

Ying Yulian opened his mouth but could not find an answer. He had never been to an amusement park before. He knew nothing about these attractions, let alone which ones he “should” want to try.

“I will just follow whatever you want to play, Brother.” Ying Yulian naturally took Lu Min’s hand, a sweet smile on his face, though the unease in his eyes remained.

Lu Min felt a bit helpless. He squeezed Ying Yulian’s hand to soothe his discomfort in this environment. “I am an adult; these are for children. Since you do not know what to play, let’s just walk around first.”

The park was crowded. Ying Yulian and Lu Min were pushed by the tide of people, nearly becoming separated several times. Ying Yulian showed little interest. Rather than the rides children loved, he detested the “human smell” of the crowd that flooded his nose, making it almost impossible to smell the pleasant scent of Lu Min’s aftershave. It felt as if he and his brother were drifting apart.

However, for some reason, Ying Yulian’s gaze was drawn to a white rabbit on the top shelf of a shooting stall.

“Do you want that?” Lu Min’s voice came from his side.

Ying Yulian snapped out of it and shook his head hurriedly. “No, I don’t…” Yet his eyes uncontrollably drifted back to the rabbit.

Lu Min followed his gaze and saw the white, lonely doll hanging at the very top. He suddenly remembered that in his previous life, Ying Yulian had been obsessed with collecting rabbit dolls. Even his “death notices” sent to the police station before an execution featured a rabbit doll holding a greeting card in its mouth. At the time, Lu Min had considered it the twisted taste of a madman and had burned all those dolls to ash.

So, he truly liked them?

“Want to try?” Lu Min had already walked to the stall, pulling a bill from his wallet to hand to the proprietress.

The woman smiled as she took the money. “Hey, handsome, you need eight hits out of ten to win the big prize. It is very difficult.”

Lu Min said nothing. He picked up a toy gun, weighed it in his hand, and checked the sights. He turned around and handed the gun to Ying Yulian.

“Your turn.”

Ying Yulian stared at the broad hands holding the gun. The distinct knuckles and the contrast between the black gun and the fair skin looked like a dusting of snow. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He desperately wanted to be the gun in his brother’s hand.

Ying Yulian shook his head at Lu Min; he did not know how to shoot. “I want to watch you do it, Brother.”

“But today is your exam reward.”

“Then my wish is to watch you shoot.” Ying Yulian stared at Lu Min with misty, puppy-like eyes, shaking Lu Min’s wrist as he acted spoiled.

“Fine, I will do it.” Lu Min chuckled at the boy’s pitiful act.

Lu Min raised the gun. He did not fire immediately but closed one eye to adjust his breathing. A few onlookers gathered around, their whispers floating in the noisy background.

First shot. Pop! The red balloon in the center burst.

The proprietress remarked, “Oh! Good aim!”

Lu Min’s expression did not change. His wrist moved slightly. Second shot, third shot—balloons burst one after another, clean and efficient. Ying Yulian held his breath, his eyes fixed on Lu Min’s hand. That hand was steady, and the movement of pulling the trigger was as natural as breathing. With his eyes narrowed, Lu Min locked onto the targets through the sights with a focus that made one’s heart skip a beat.

Fourth shot, fifth shot…

The crowd grew larger, and someone began to count. “Six, seven, eight… My god, he hasn’t missed once!”

After ten shots, the middle row of balloons on the board was completely gone, leaving only colorful scraps of rubber. Lu Min set the gun down as casually as if he had just taken a sip of water.

The proprietress stood with her mouth agape for several seconds before reacting. “All… all of them! Handsome, you must have trained before, right?”

Lu Min curved his lips almost imperceptibly. He did not answer but simply pointed to the white rabbit on the top shelf.

“Oh, right away!” The woman hurried to fetch a ladder and carefully took the rabbit down. The doll was large, almost obscuring her upper body as she struggled to hand it over. “Here, your grand prize!”

Lu Min took the rabbit and turned to give it to Ying Yulian. The youth stared blankly at the doll suddenly thrust into his arms. The rabbit was soft, its fur tickling his face with the clean scent of fabric and cotton. He held it tightly, his fingers sinking into the soft filling, unable to speak.

As Lu Min was about to leave, the proprietress suddenly hummed in thought, leaning in to look at him. “Wait, handsome, you look very familiar. Did you used to come here often?”

Lu Min’s footsteps faltered.

The woman clapped her hands. “Yes, yes! I remember now! Seven or eight years ago, did you used to come with a few classmates? You were still a student then, wearing a school uniform, but your marksmanship was already incredible. You won the grand prize every time you came!”

Ying Yulian’s arms tightened around the rabbit.

Brother… used to come here often? With classmates?

He had thought that today was Lu Min’s first time at an amusement park—or at least his first time coming here. He thought the slight awkwardness in queuing, buying tickets, and choosing rides was because Lu Min, like him, was unfamiliar with this place.

But it was not so. Lu Min had been here long ago. Back when he did not even know him. Back when Lu Min was a student. He came with classmates, laughing and playing, perhaps winning the grand prize just as easily as he did today and giving it to…

To whom? Ying Yulian did not know. And he did not dare to ask.

The proprietress continued her rambling reminiscence. “You boys were so rowdy back then, popping every balloon I had. Sigh, time flies. You have grown up so much in the blink of an eye.”

Lu Min’s expression remained unchanged as he nodded. “Yes, I came a few times.”

His voice was calm, but Ying Yulian felt that the warm, soft rabbit in his arms had suddenly become cold. He was not the first. He was not the first to come to the park with Lu Min, not the first to watch him shoot, and not the first to receive a prize won by him.

His throat felt tight. He lowered his head, burying his face in the rabbit’s fur to hide the unbidden bitterness in his eyes.

As Lu Min turned to leave, he sensed something. He stopped and looked back at Ying Yulian. The youth was following behind him, head hanging low, showing only the top of his hair. His steps were sluggish, a stark contrast to his earlier excitement.

Lu Min’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He said nothing but reached out to naturally drape an arm over Ying Yulian’s shoulder, leading him through the crowd. This forced the youth to look up, but he turned his face away, refusing to meet Lu Min’s eyes.

They walked in silence for a while until they reached a relatively quiet corner. Lu Min stopped.

“Ying Yulian.”

The youth stiffened and slowly looked up. Lu Min stared at him for a long time—so long that Ying Yulian nearly looked away—before finally speaking.

“Are you jealous?”

The three words were as light as a feather, yet they made Ying Yulian shudder. He shook his head vigorously, his ears turning an uncontrollable red. “No, I’m not…”

Lu Min did not speak. He reached out, not to touch the boy, but to rub the ears of the white rabbit. The movement was light, filled with a casual tenderness.

“That was a very long time ago,” he said, stating an insignificant fact. “In high school, I was dragged here by classmates two or three times.” He paused, his fingers tracing the soft fur. “The prizes I won back then were given to my classmates.”

Ying Yulian’s heart constricted. There really had been others.

Lu Min looked at his pale face. He lowered his hand and met the boy’s misty eyes. “But that is the past.” Each word was as clear as if carved into the night. “And now—”

He reached out, took the rabbit from Ying Yulian’s arms, looked at it, and then tucked it back into his embrace.

“—the prize is for you.” Lu Min’s lips curved slightly. “Only you.”

Ying Yulian froze. He held the rabbit, his fingers sinking into the fur, his eyes wide as he stared at Lu Min. The night breeze blew, lifting the hair on the man’s forehead, while the lights of the park blurred into a sea of light behind him. Lu Min stood there, his eyes reflecting only Ying Yulian.

Only you.

Those words were like a magic spell, instantly dispelling the gloom in his heart. Ying Yulian’s ears grew even redder—this time not from bitterness, but from something hot and joyous that nearly burst from his chest. He buried his face in the rabbit, this time to hide the uncontrollable curve of his lips.

Lu Min shook his head at the sight, but a faint smile touched his eyes. He reached out and rubbed the top of the youth’s head.

“Silly.” The voice was soft, filled with a helpless indulgence. Then he turned and continued walking.

Ying Yulian clutched the rabbit and trotted after him. This time, his steps were light, almost skipping. He walked close to Lu Min, his arm occasionally brushing against the man’s.

“Brother, I am so, so happy today,” Ying Yulian said, unable to hide the joy in his tone.

“You are happy just because of a rabbit? You are too easy to please.” Lu Min found the boy’s lack of composure quite amusing.

“Will you only win prizes for me from now on, Brother?”

“That depends on whether you are well-behaved.”

“I am very well-behaved.”

As they chatted, Ying Yulian suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, as if someone were watching him from behind. He turned around, but found nothing there.

“What is it?” Lu Min asked, noticing the movement.

“Nothing, Brother.” Ying Yulian shook his head hesitantly.