Chapter 45 Amusement Park

Chapter 45: Amusement Park

Overnight, Qingye Company became one of the viral check-in spots.

Due to the impact of yesterday’s video, website traffic exploded, the recruitment inbox was flooded with resumes, and even the front desk phone became a hotline.

But that wasn’t what really bothered Shen Qingci.

What really bugged him was that his face had been recognized.

The video showed his face pretty clearly—though only a few side and frontal shots—it was enough for people who knew him to recognize him.

Soon, old acquaintances started reaching out to Qingye Company.

There were former employees of Tianchen Group and business partners from Shen Qingci’s previous life.

Shen Qingci had Lin Wei brush them all off with the line, “Mr. Shen is busy and can't take personal calls.”

---

Lu Lin hadn't been to the office for three days straight.

Since that therapy session, he'd locked himself in the villa, refusing to go out, see anyone, or even talk.

Uncle Fu said he spent most of his time sitting in the garden, staring off into space for hours, his eyes fixed on nothing, lost in his own world.

Sometimes, he'd hold Shen Qingci's clothes, bury his face in them, breathe deeply, and hold onto them all day.

Shen Qingci wrapped up work early that afternoon and headed back to the villa.

As he walked into the garden, he saw Lu Lin sitting under the ginkgo tree, leaning against the trunk, staring at the distant sky with empty, hollow eyes.

Uncle Fu saw him, walked over, and whispered:

“Sir, Mr. Lu didn't have lunch again today.”

Shen Qingci frowned.

He walked up to Lu Lin and stopped in front of him.

Lu Lin didn't react, still staring at the sky as if he didn't see him.

Shen Qingci crouched down to look him in the eye:

“Lu Lin.”

Lu Lin's eyes shifted slightly, his focus slowly sharpening as they landed on Shen Qingci's face.

Then, he suddenly reached out and hugged Shen Qingci's waist tightly, burying his face in Shen Qingci's neck.

“Brother…”

Lu Lin's voice was hoarse, trembling with tears.

Shen Qingci tensed for a moment but quickly relaxed.

He raised his hand, gently stroked Lu Lin's head, and said softly:

“I’m here.”

Lu Lin's warm breath hit his neck, and Shen Qingci wanted to push him away, but Lu Lin only held on tighter.

“Brother, don’t leave.”

Shen Qingci frowned. As Lu Lin spoke, his lips accidentally brushed against his skin.

His body was sensitive, so he especially hated being touched by others.

Lu Lin's breath on his neck made him shiver involuntarily, and the intense discomfort triggered a reflex to struggle.

A sharp pain stabbed his neck. Shen Qingci hissed and slapped the back of Lu Lin's head—the one who had just bitten him.

*Smack!* It was a bit too hard, leaving Lu Lin dazed.

He looked up at Shen Qingci, confused.

Shen Qingci snapped: “What are you, a dog? Biting people?”

Lu Lin seemed to come back to his senses. He looked at Shen Qingci pitifully, then, under Shen Qingci's gaze, lowered his head and gently licked the bite mark on his neck.

Shen Qingci tensed up. He frowned, covered his neck, and stood up, then tapped Lu Lin on the head with his cane.

“Brother…”

Lu Lin held his head, looking innocent, his eyes full of longing as he gazed at Shen Qingci.

Shen Qingci sighed. After a long pause, he said:

“Let's go to the amusement park today.”

“…What?” Lu Lin asked, unsure.

“The amusement park,” Shen Qingci repeated, his voice calm. “Didn't you always want to go?”

Lu Lin's eyes lit up instantly.

He sat up straight, his voice filled with disbelief and joy:

“Really?”

“Mm.”

Shen Qingci extended his hand toward him.

Lu Lin stared blankly at that hand for a few seconds before taking it and using it to stand up.

His hand was ice-cold and trembling slightly.

Shen Qingci tightened his grip on his hand and turned to walk toward the villa:

“Eat something, then change clothes. Dress warmly—it gets cold at night.”

---

Shen Qingci took Lu Lin to the city’s largest amusement park.

By the time they arrived, it was already evening.

The amusement park was brightly lit, with music, laughter, and screams blending into a lively sea of noise.

Lu Lin stood at the entrance, gazing at everything before him, his eyes sparkling like stars.

He turned to look at Shen Qingci, his tone brimming with excitement:

"Bro, what should we play first?"

Shen Qingci, using his cane, glanced at the map and then pointed to the carousel not far away.

"That one."

Lu Lin paused for a second. "...The carousel?"

"Yeah."

A twenty-seven-year-old man taking a twenty-six-year-old man to ride the carousel—even though it looked weird to other people, Lu Lin was pumped.

He grabbed Shen Qingci's hand and rushed over to the carousel, picking two white horses next to each other.

The music started up, and the horses began to spin.

Lu Lin sat on his horse, turning his head to look at Shen Qingci, his face lit up with pure joy.

"Bro!" he shouted loudly, his voice lost in the music. "This is so much fun."

Shen Qingci watched him, seeing the pure joy in his eyes, the smile on his lips, and how he was enjoying this moment like a real kid.

His heart softened a little.

After the first ride was over, Lu Lin refused to get off. He sat on the white horse, giving Shen Qingci a stubborn look.

"Bro, let's ride it one more time!"

Shen Qingci looked at the line of people waiting, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Okay."

Second time.

Third time.

Lu Lin rode the carousel three times, and each time the music ended, he looked at Shen Qingci with puppy-dog eyes, like a dog begging for attention.

More people gathered around them, and some even saved their spot in line for them while they rode.

A couple of girls squealed when they saw Lu Lin grab Shen Qingci's hand.

Shen Qingci, kind of numbly, rode the carousel with Lu Lin three times.

After the third ride, Lu Lin finally got off.

By then, all the park's lights were on, and the Ferris wheel slowly turned in the night sky, like a huge, glowing eye.

Lu Lin pointed to it. "Bro, that one!"

Shen Qingci looked up and said yes right away. "Yeah."

A few girls behind them, seeing them leave, chatted excitedly but a little sadly.

"Wow, they're such a perfect couple."

"Basically, my dream guy got with my dream guy."

"Am I the only one who noticed that clingy puppy guy kept calling him 'bro'?"

"What's that mean?"

"It means he's a younger, loyal, devoted top!"

Shen Qingci kept walking, but he was curious what they meant by "younger, loyal, devoted top."

They got to the Ferris wheel, waited in line, and got on.

Lu Lin sat across from Shen Qingci, his eyes glued to the window. As the cabin rose, the whole city's night view spread out in front of them.

Lights stretched out like a river of stars, and cars moved like fireflies.

"Bro," Lu Lin suddenly spoke, pointing at the view outside the glass. "Look, it's so beautiful."

Shen Qingci followed his gaze.

It was indeed beautiful.

But he quickly looked back at Lu Lin.

Lu Lin was leaning against the window, his face pressed to the glass, his eyes wide, reflecting the lights like they held the whole night sky.

Shen Qingci watched him, his face softened by the lights, and couldn't help reaching out to ruffle Lu Lin's soft hair.

Lu Lin turned back to him, his voice a little confused. "Bro?"

"Mm-hmm." Shen Qingci withdrew his hand and asked, "Do you like it?"

"I love it." Lu Lin nodded vigorously. "I love it so much!"

A tiny, almost invisible smile tugged at the corner of Shen Qingci's mouth.

"Good, glad you like it."

The Ferris wheel reached its highest point and stopped.

They say couples who kiss at the top of a Ferris wheel stay together forever.

Lu Lin looked at Shen Qingci, the light in his eyes faded for a second, but it quickly brightened again.

He reached out, took Shen Qingci's hand, leaned his head on Shen Qingci's shoulder, and spoke softly.

"Bro, it's kinda high... I'm scared..."

Shen Qingci patted his back and comforted him calmly. "It's okay, we'll be down soon."

The Ferris wheel began to turn again. In a spot Shen Qingci couldn't see, Lu Lin stared at the bite mark he had left on Shen Qingci's neck, his eyes dark and intense.