Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 16.1

The lights in the venue gradually dimmed, leaving only the glow from the screen about to start playing.

She sat under the staff’s well-intentioned gazes, even sensing many eyes on her from behind.

Lu Zhi’s hand almost instinctively rested on his thigh, tightening involuntarily. The smooth fabric wrinkled once again under her grip, but she was completely unaware, her eyes questioning him: What do we do?? You caused this, you fix it.

He opened his palm, still unflustered as ever: “I’ll help you.”

The staff member gushed again: “You two really are so affectionate.”

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, soon you’ll see even more affection.

Lu Zhi raised her hand to guide him: “Like this, wrap it around, tie it to the side.”

That should just cover it.

The staff member said: “It needs to be tied at the top. Tying it to the side still has risks.”

“…”

Seeing there was no other way, Lu Zhi didn’t bother wasting effort. Resigned, she gathered her hair in one swift motion, even deliberately tying it into a high ponytail, though she wasn’t sure who she was protesting against.

She was about to speak, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fu Yanshang lean in. The next second, his entire palm covered the back of her neck.

She felt as if he had taken hold of her.

In the screening room, chilled by full-blast air conditioning, his palm was warm, enveloping her slightly cold neck. The sudden warmth made her shiver, her arms tingling with numbness.

She complained, “Won’t this be way too obvious?”

“No,” he said leisurely. “Others will just think we’re very affectionate.”

“…”

Before she could say more, the experience began with an African forest escape. They sat in a wooden cart within the game, jolting along the way, and the seats beneath them dutifully responded to the motion. Lu Zhi was tossed about, thinking to herself that long hair did indeed pose certain risks.

Fu Yanshang’s hand never left the back of her neck throughout, moving up and down with the jolts. She glanced sideways at him; he was watching the screen with a casual expression, his usual look, neither particularly focused nor entirely disengaged.

Lu Zhi guessed he was probably thinking about work.

Soon, Fu Yanshang spoke: “If you don’t watch now, you’ll have to tie your hair again when we come back for a second viewing.”

She quickly turned her face away, immersing herself in the experience. Along the way, they encountered spectacles like an elephant spraying water and a golden eagle flapping its wings. By the end, her mind was still reeling. An expert took the stage to explain all the endangered animals featured in the film, a segment Fu Yanshang seemed somewhat interested in.

She could feel the pad of his thumb, resting on the back of her neck, subtly stroking that highly sensitive skin as he pondered.

It made her distracted too, listening to the explanation in fragments.

Finally, when they exited the venue, she let her ponytail down at once. Fu Yanshang smoothed the hair at her neck, and soon, Fu Cheng approached from behind.

Lu Zhi tilted her head and saw that Fu Cheng seemed to be in a rather good mood, looking Fu Yanshang up and down with approval before pointing at the wrinkle on his pant leg and asking, “How did you get that?”

Her memory always worked a little too well at the most inconvenient times, like the image of her own fingers just moments ago, and inside the car before Grandpa’s birthday banquet.

She clenched her fingers, thinking to herself: Bad habit. Gotta fix it.

Fu Yanshang glanced sideways, only to see Lu Zhi looking up at the sky with an expression of complete detachment. After a brief pause, he replied seriously, “It was blown by that tornado just now.”

“…”

–

The morning was still spent at the zoo. Lu Zhi had watched the long-awaited performance of the tabby cat “clocking in for work,” and it seemed there was nothing left to explore in the park.

Fu Cheng began practicing Tai Chi with an elderly man he had just met in an open area, telling the two of them to go check out the black bears or monkeys. But Lu Zhi was genuinely afraid of being robbed by monkeys.  After all, the golden snub-nosed monkeys here had already gained notoriety for repeatedly snatching things from tourists.

Halfway there, she looked up from her phone’s search results and asked him, “How about we go play at the other gate of the zoo?”

“The zoo has another gate?”

She replied with a straight face, “Yes, it does.”

Ten minutes later, Lu Zhi led him through the back gate, following the navigation all the way into a bustling amusement park.

Feeling guilty as if she were sneaking around, Lu Zhi slipped through the turnstile. Fu Yanshang, fully aware of what was happening, took out his phone to buy tickets. Just as they entered through the VIP lane, his phone vibrated.  It was a call from the old man.

Fu Cheng: “Where are you guys? Do you want me to come find you?”

Fu Yanshang glanced down at the tickets and replied calmly, “We’re at the horse area.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, clearly lost in thought. “What horses? What kind of horses?”

“Carousel horses.”

“…”

He should have known she couldn’t stay put. The “other gate” she mentioned was actually the neighboring Disneyland.

With the premium pass allowing them to skip the lines, it was clear she had a plan. She strode confidently along the marked path while Fu Yanshang asked from behind, “There are guides available. Do you want one?”

“Better not,” she said cautiously. “Otherwise, the guide might make me tie up my hair again.”

“…”

Just then, a roller coaster whizzed overhead. Lu Zhi watched its entire trajectory, her expression growing increasingly complicated as she stood rooted to the spot.

It was then that Fu Yanshang realized she hadn’t chosen the carousel.  She had picked the Tron Lightcycle Power Run.

He raised an eyebrow. “If you’re scared now, you can still back out.”

Lu Zhi, who loved thrills despite her fear, insisted, “No, I want to ride it.”

…

It was the most terrifying ride in the park, reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h. The most nerve-wracking part was when the motorcycle shot up to the peak and then stalled in the darkness. A countdown to the drop echoed in their ears, like a death toll, before plunging abruptly at the last second. The first time Lu Zhi rode it, it took her half an hour to recover.

As she walked, she recalled the ride and finally slammed on the brakes at the entrance. “How about we start with something easier to ease into it?”

Noticing his knowing expression, she came up with a noble excuse for her cowardice: “It’s mainly because it’s your first time here. I’m worried you might be scared.”

“Mm,” he said. “I’m sure it’s not because you’re scared.”

Lu Zhi nodded eagerly, not caring what he said, and dashed off to the children’s paradise to regain some confidence.

The most beginner-friendly ride was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which even seven-year-olds could handle. The slopes weren’t too steep, but Fu Yanshang hadn’t expected her to be scared even of this. With nowhere to channel her tension, she clung tightly to him. Every time he felt a sharp pain in his leg, despite being unfamiliar with the ride, he knew they were about to go downhill.

He predicted every drop until the ride ended. It was clear she had enjoyed herself immensely, her hair slightly disheveled, her inner daredevil personality on the verge of breaking free.

But just a few minutes later, as they entered the high-speed light wheel passage again, she instantly grew cautious. Without a word, she got on the motorcycle, checked her seatbelt three times, then turned to him and asked, “Are you scared?”

He paused briefly. “I’m more scared of you grabbing me.”

“……”

They were sitting in the second row. Whether it was because their voices were too loud or the people in front happened to overhear, she felt that as soon as Fu Yanshang finished speaking, the two girls in the front row lowered their heads, stifling laughter, and couldn’t resist glancing back at them.

Lu Zhi hurriedly straightened up. “Stop saying weird things.”

Fu Yanshang, who had only meant it literally: ?

The ride was about to start. He tilted his head slightly. “Don’t let your mind wander to strange places.”

Lu Zhi opened her mouth to say something more, but the ride abruptly launched. Valuing her life, she pressed herself against the front of the motorcycle. Deep blue lights surrounded her field of vision, the sound system was immersive, and the sensory experience was maxed out.

As the vehicle passed by, the lights flickered on one by one, blinking uncertainly during brief pauses. After a short halt, it suddenly accelerated. Screams erupted around her, her eardrums battered by the wind. Her body was lifted from the space and carried outdoors, with a sea of people visible beneath her feet. Before she could catch her breath, the scene shifted again as they plunged into a pitch-black tunnel.

Only intermittent lights flickered uncertainly in the darkness.

As she accelerated upward in the dark, the motorcycle began to vibrate, as if the mountain were collapsing. The light wheel of the vehicle ahead reflected in her eyes, and she squeezed them shut. But the countdown sound was inescapable, so she called out, “Fu Yanshang?”

No one answered.

Her next words were drowned out by the overwhelming screams around her. Suddenly, her wrist was grasped, a familiar, warm pressure.

“What are you afraid of?”

The next second, the vehicle plunged downward. Her heart seemed to lose all sensation. In just three seconds, her soul felt lifted and then dropped back into place. Surrounded by screams, she couldn’t tell if she had made a sound herself.

How strange… it really didn’t feel that scary anymore.

A staff member came to unbuckle her seatbelt. She looked ahead and let out a sigh of relief.

Fu Yanshang touched her pale fingertips.  They were ice-cold.

He lowered his gaze. “Even this scared, you still want to ride?”

“Being scared is what makes it thrilling,” she said earnestly. “If I weren’t scared, wouldn’t it be boring?”

“……”

After two roller coaster rides, her life trajectory shifted to “quietly staying alive.”