The Arrogant Young Master Targeted by the Overbearing President - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: I Don’t Want to Accompany You Anymore

Lu Siyang did not snap out of his daze until Fang Lv parked the car at the entrance of the amusement park. Fang Lv turned off the engine, and seeing that Lu Siyang still hadn’t moved, he walked around to open the passenger door.

“We’re here,” Fang Lv leaned one hand against the car door, lowering his body to peer in, a hint of a smile hidden in his bottomless eyes. “Still not getting out?”

Lu Siyang stood outside the amusement park gates, his head feeling a bit muddled. The overgrown entrance had been cleared completely clean. The rusted gates, which used to show bare metal, had been painted with fresh, colorful paint. Even the three large characters for “XX Amusement Park” overhead had been replaced with a cute cartoon font, surrounded by colorful lights flickering in a variety of hues.

Against the pitch-black curtain of the night, the dots of light sparkled with a blurred yet gentle glow. Lu Siyang stood stiffly outside the gates, the shifting multicolored lights reflecting in his glass-colored pupils. A suspicion flickered in his heart, but he didn’t dare say it out loud blindly. His arms hung at his sides; he felt his fingertips trembling slightly.

Lu Siyang took a deep breath, his lips parting: “You…”

Before he could speak, his trembling fingers were caught in a warm palm. Fang Lv held his hand and said softly, “Let’s go in.” With that, he pushed open the gates of the amusement park.

Lu Siyang let himself be pulled forward by Fang Lv in a state of bewilderment. The dark amusement park seemed even quieter than usual—so quiet that Lu Siyang could almost hear his own heartbeat.

The moment he stepped into the park, the surroundings suddenly lit up. The merry-go-round moving up and down, the roller coaster whistling past, the rotating Ferris wheel, and the flying chairs spinning in mid-air—all the rides were operating cheerfully. In the vast amusement park that used to be empty, happy songs were playing, and one could see smiling tourists, staff members in mascot costumes, and small shops selling snacks and ice cream everywhere.

Lu Siyang stood frozen at the entrance, watching the scene he had envisioned countless times in his mind over the last decade or so appear right before his eyes. The rotating beams of light overhead made him feel momentarily dazed.

“You…” Lu Siyang turned his head to look at Fang Lv. He opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say. A sour sensation in his nose climbed up into his eyes, the chilly ache making his eye sockets burn. He blinked hard, swallowing back the warmth that nearly spilled over.

Fang Lv didn’t look at him; he only squeezed his fingers, gesturing for Lu Siyang to follow him. Lu Siyang followed behind Fang Lv with staggering steps as they passed couples wearing large-eared headbands and dodged laughing, chasing children.

Finally, they stopped at the entrance of the Ferris wheel. That dilapidated, shaky-looking Ferris wheel had clearly been meticulously decorated; it was now brand new. Lu Siyang was pulled inside. As he watched the staff lock the cabin door from the outside, the music from the park instantly dimmed. His heart, which had just begun to calm, started racing violently once again.

In the enclosed space, he sat opposite Fang Lv. As the cabin rose, Lu Siyang’s heart hung in suspense along with it. Fang Lv didn’t speak either, just looking down while fiddling with something. Lu Siyang looked out the window uncomfortably.

A few seconds later, Fang Lv suddenly tapped his finger against the glass of the cabin door. Lu Siyang turned toward the sound, only to see a flash of golden light outside.

Whoosh—Boom!

The golden light exploded in mid-air, turning into countless tiny stars that lit up half the night sky. In the next moment, the dots of light actually formed several words in the air:

“Happy Birthday.”

Lu Siyang’s eyes widened suddenly, and he was so startled he forgot to breathe. He instinctively turned back to look at Fang Lv, who was gazing at him with eyes full of laughter. Seeing him look over, Fang Lv suddenly reached out and pulled a rope behind him.

Like a magic trick, countless colorful balloons flew out from under the seats, expertly taking up half the cabin. Lu Siyang looked at the balloons crowding around him in shock. After a moment of daze, he covered his eyes and let out a laugh.

Something this clumsy, childish, and ridiculous was exactly the kind of thing he usually held in the highest contempt… but why didn’t he find it childish or ridiculous at all right now? He was actually… a little moved.

He looked up again, staring intently at the words suspended in the night sky. An unknown amount of time passed until all the light faded and the sky turned dark again. But those words felt as if they were deeply imprinted in his brain; they would appear before him the moment he blinked.

It took another long while before Lu Siyang turned back and cleared his throat: “You… how did you know today was my birthday…”

“If one has the heart, one will always find out.” Fang Lv swept aside the balloons next to Lu Siyang and sat down beside him. “Well? Do you like it?”

His throat felt tight. Lu Siyang struggled to keep his voice normal, saying intentionally, “If I said I didn’t like it, I’m afraid Boss Fang would cry.”

Fang Lv leaned in, his nose rubbing against Lu Siyang’s earlobe: “I wouldn’t go as far as crying, but I’d definitely be sad. While you were at work, I spent a long time secretly setting this up.”

Seeing no reaction, Fang Lv grabbed a balloon at random, curled his lip, and said in a pitiful tone, “Just these balloons alone took me the whole morning to blow up. I didn’t expect these things to be so fragile; they pop if I squeeze them even a little.”

As if to prove his point, the pink balloon in Fang Lv’s hand popped with a bang. Lu Siyang couldn’t help but freeze. That familiar sound made him suddenly remember something.

So, the two strange noises he heard when Fang Lv called were the sounds of balloons popping? And… just now, Fang Lv said he had been decorating for a long time. Fang Lv hadn’t contacted him recently—had he been setting up this birthday surprise all that time?

So the reason Fang Lv lied to him about being at the bar was actually to prepare this birthday surprise? This belated realization left Lu Siyang momentarily stunned. Guilt and chagrin slowly swept over him.

He had not only intentionally lied to Fang Lv, but he wouldn’t even offer a proper apology when he was caught red-handed. Yet Fang Lv not only wasn’t angry or resentful, but had prepared all this for him…

A thick sense of guilt surrounded Lu Siyang. He stared at the balloons floating overhead for a long while, then turned around and said solemnly to Fang Lv, “I’m sorry. I intentionally lied to you. I shouldn’t have—”

Before he could finish, Fang Lv stuffed something into his mouth. A sweet and sour taste spread across his tongue. He closed his teeth and felt the hard resistance of a candy piece. It was a salted plum candy.

“Haven’t you already said your apology once?” Fang Lv chuckled and pinched Lu Siyang’s cheek, which was propped up by the candy. “Is it good?”

The pinch hurt, and Lu Siyang nodded with a frown. Fang Lv seemed to think of something, his eyes and brows filling with a smile: “As long as you like it.”

He had seen many kinds of smiles from Fang Lv—rogue smiles, wild smiles, satisfied smiles—but he had never seen one like this: tender and intimate. It was as if Fang Lv had opened his heart, allowing him to touch a depth he had never seen before. This sudden appearance of an unfamiliar smile left Lu Siyang dazed for a moment.

He felt like his brain was lacking oxygen and his thoughts were a mess; a strange idea even popped into his head. Lu Siyang sat up straight, turned Fang Lv’s head toward him, looked up, and kissed him.

It was a shallow kiss, devoid of any erotic intent, yet it made Lu Siyang’s heart race and his face flush intensely. His pink lips landed on the corner of Fang Lv’s mouth. Lu Siyang closed his eyes gently, his long eyelashes trembling slightly with his breath.

After the light kiss, he moved his body back, but was caught by Fang Lv pressing against his waist. This time, he closed his eyes submissively. Then, he felt Fang Lv’s lips press against his—soft, cool, and carrying a hint of tobacco—dominantly claiming his lips.

Lu Siyang raised his arms, wrapping them around the back of Fang Lv’s neck. He bit down on the salted plum candy in his mouth and pushed it through the gap in their lips with the tip of his tongue. The tiny fragments of candy, along with their saliva, entered Fang Lv’s mouth together. The sweet and sour plum flavor spread through both of their mouths.

It seemed like a long time passed before they finally pulled apart. Lu Siyang leaned on Fang Lv’s shoulder, panting slightly, his eyes carrying a bit of inner conflict.

“Fang Lv…” He bit his lip, finally unable to stop himself from speaking, “Do you want to… give it a try with me…”

Whoosh—Bang!

His words were drowned out by the ill-timed sound of fireworks.

“Hmm?” Fang Lv pecked his earlobe, his tone casual. “Baby, what did you just say?”

With his earlobe burning, Lu Siyang pushed Fang Lv away and said flatly, “Nothing.”

Fang Lv lowered his eyes to hide the flash of surprise within them, smiled, and didn’t press further. The two sat side by side like that until the Ferris wheel rotated back to its starting position.

The staff opened the cabin door from the outside. Lu Siyang avoided Fang Lv’s hand that wanted to steady him and stepped out first. Even if the fireworks had been loud, they wouldn’t have masked a whisper pressed right against his ear.

The moment he asked that question, Lu Siyang regretted it. He had clearly felt Fang Lv’s spine stiffen instantly and his current abnormal silence. The salted plum candy in his mouth had long since melted, leaving only a dull, cloying sweetness. His heart throbbed with a faint ache; fortunately, it was only a little bit.

A cool breeze blew in, dispersing the heat on Lu Siyang’s cheeks, and his head gradually cleared. He looked around as if trying to imprint all of this into his memory. Then, he turned back and gave Fang Lv a shallow smile: “Thank you for preparing all of this. You went to a lot of trouble, Boss Fang.”

He looked down at his wristwatch and gave an apologetic smile. “It’s late, and I have work tomorrow. I’ll be going now.”

He wanted to act nonchalant, but the moment he turned around, his arm was caught by Fang Lv.

“Have fun, Boss Fang,” Lu Siyang looked down at Fang Lv’s hand gripping his wrist, his tone still calm and self-possessed. “I don’t want to accompany you anymore.”

Fang Lv’s grip on his hand suddenly tightened, the casualness in his eyes fading significantly: “Why?”

Why… this man actually dared to ask him why.

He didn’t want to spell it out. He didn’t want to make himself look too pathetic. Did Fang Lv really have to force him?