Chapter 32.1

Although the inside was packed with people, the smiles on everyone’s faces made it easy to feel the joy in the air.

The two girls and one dog walked through the crowd beneath an umbrella. Looking at the map she had casually picked up, Xie Shuyun realized this place was divided into five areas.

The dining area, shopping area, land facilities area, water facilities area, and indoor activity area.

She brought the map in front of Cheng Lingxue and asked,

“Lingxue, is there anywhere in particular you want to go? I asked the staff here before. The facilities here are designed so people and pets can play together, so the danger and excitement level has been greatly lowered. It shouldn’t be a problem to bring Pai Pai along.”

“You decide.”

Cheng Lingxue pressed down Pai Pai, who was growing restless in her arms after seeing so many little companions.

“Aow! Aow aow!”

Pai Pai refused to give up. His eyes were full of longing to get down and play. His four limbs kept moving, and he even twisted his body, letting out little barks.

Even Cheng Lingxue, his owner, could not restrain him. Helpless, Cheng Lingxue could only bend down and put Pai Pai on the ground. However, she did not forget to keep hold of his collar. After taking out a leash from the bag and clipping it on, she finally let go.

Fortunately, the leash was there. Otherwise, Pai Pai would have been like a wild horse with its reins cut loose. The moment Cheng Lingxue released him, he immediately rushed toward his little companions and would have disappeared from sight.

Seeing Cheng Lingxue stagger slightly from Pai Pai’s sudden charge, Xie Shuyun quickly reached out to support her and asked worriedly,

“Why don’t I hold the leash instead? Pai Pai is too naughty. If he keeps rushing around like this, you’ll get hurt.”

“No need.”

Lightly avoiding Xie Shuyun’s hand on her shoulder, Cheng Lingxue skillfully looped the taut leash around her hand. Then, borrowing the force, she pulled, and directly “plucked” Pai Pai out of the pile of dogs.

“Aow! Aow aow aow!”

Pai Pai, whose fur had originally been smooth and fluffy, had now become messy. But after being pulled out, Pai Pai thought Cheng Lingxue was calling him. He excitedly ran to Cheng Lingxue’s feet, wagging his little tail and barking nonstop.

Looking down at Pai Pai obediently unauthorized copy sitting by her feet, Cheng Lingxue finally lifted her head and said faintly,

“Let’s go.”

“Oh… oh, okay!”

Xie Shuyun scratched her head.

The other girl’s practiced posture made her click her tongue inwardly. As expected of someone who had raised a dog before. Was this what they called dog-handling technique?

The two first went around the land facilities area. Inside were must-have attractions like roller coasters, Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, coffee cups, and more. For the sake of taking care of furry children, aside from slowing down the speed, the height of the facilities had also been greatly lowered.

Sitting in the slowly rotating coffee cup, Xie Shuyun watched Pai Pai, who stood on the cushion, sticking his tongue out at a poodle in another coffee cup and barking from time to time. Then her gaze returned to Cheng Lingxue.

The cold young girl sat quietly. Her small bag rested on her lap. One hand held it, while the other gathered the hair fluttering from the rotation. Her skirt swayed lightly with it.

Bits of sunlight spilled through the gaps above the facility and fell onto the girl, coating her in a hazy beauty. She was as beautiful as a painting, making it impossible to look away.

“What are you doing? It’s already stopped.”

The girl’s cold voice sounded beside her ear, finally bringing Xie Shuyun back to herself.

She looked around and saw that the coffee cup had already stopped. Basically, the passengers inside had already left one after another. Only she was still sitting there blankly.

Feeling the strange gazes of the staff member in the control room and the guests lining up to enter, Xie Shuyun’s face reddened. She hurriedly stood and came to Cheng Lingxue’s side.

Fortunately, Cheng Lingxue had waited for her. Otherwise, it really would have been embarrassing.

“Sorry. Let’s go.”

Only after they left the facility did she finally let out a breath.

Suddenly, she caught sight of something from the corner of her eye. Looking carefully, a light flashed through her eyes.

After walking a few steps and realizing the person still had not followed, helplessness appeared in Cheng Lingxue’s beautiful eyes.

What was wrong with this person today?

Was she starting to space out again?

Turning her head to look, she saw that the person was staring in one direction, her face filled with interest. Cheng Lingxue followed her gaze and saw a small shop.

It was a merchandise stand that was essential for an amusement park. It sold the most famous goods and souvenirs here. Almost every area had a small one, so there was nothing unusual about it.

Cheng Lingxue did not understand what could have attracted the other girl’s attention.

“Should we go over and take a look?”

Although she did not understand, Cheng Lingxue still nodded and followed Xie Shuyun to the front of the shop.

She did not know what the other girl was searching for. She only saw Xie Shuyun bending down.

After a while, Xie Shuyun turned around, both hands behind her back. Her face showed a bright, mischievous expression, making Cheng Lingxue raise her brow slightly.

“What are you trying—”

Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Lingxue saw Xie Shuyun move.

She only had time to tell that it was a black object. Then Cheng Lingxue felt something being placed on her head.

It was not heavy. Basically, she could barely feel it. She could not see it, so she subconsciously reached up to touch it, only for Xie Shuyun to catch her hand.

“…Don’t move…”

For some reason, Xie Shuyun’s voice made Cheng Lingxue lift her head and meet Xie Shuyun’s gaze. Her heart immediately trembled.

Unlike usual, those eyes were now slightly dark, presenting a deep brown. The smile inside was different from usual. It seemed to contain excitement, restraint, desire, or perhaps all of those mixed together.

Xie Shuyun did not know what Cheng Lingxue was thinking. She could barely suppress the throbbing in her heart.

The cold young girl in front of her had been fitted with a headband.

This was not an ordinary headband. On top of it were extremely realistic black cat [stolen content]ears. The fine, soft fur and the pink color inside the ears had been made so well that one did not know how they were crafted. The ears even trembled from time to time.

The black headband and black cat ears seemed to blend into the cold young girl’s hair color. The slight upward tilt of her head, paired with her dark pupils that were always calm, composed, and unshaken by change—

Everything, in Xie Shuyun’s heart, transformed into a sentence with no substance at all:

It suited her too well!

An unbelievably cute cat girl!

Unable to resist touching the cat ears on the girl’s head, Xie Shuyun felt the fine, soft fur tremble lightly. Strands of hair brushed her hand. Her fingertip hooked lightly, lifting the hair that had fallen over the girl’s chest and gently tucking it behind her ear.

Her fingertip touched the pink ear.

That small piece of soft flesh sank slightly with only a light brush, and under Xie Shuyun’s startled gaze, it gradually turned bright red.

Gulp.

Xie Shuyun swallowed.

She felt her brain grow very hot. An impulse she herself could not explain surged inside her. She did not know what to do. She only wanted to get even closer to the sweet, soft young girl before her.

Time seemed unusually slow.

Without knowing when, the two girls’ faces had become extremely close. Their scorching and gentle breaths intertwined, like lovers entangling with each other.

Xie Shuyun’s heart pounded loudly like a drum, as if celebrating this forbidden moment.

But right then—

“Aowu! Aow aow!”

Pai Pai, who had been sitting on the ground waiting for his owner, suddenly saw a dog pass by with a meat-bone toy in its mouth. He immediately jumped up and pounced toward a shelf not far away where bone toys were displayed, pulling hard on the leash around his neck. But no matter how he pulled, he could not move, so he could only bark anxiously.

His barking not only broke the shy atmosphere between the two girls, but also made Xie Shuyun realize what state they were in right now.

Her face flushed red. With one step of her long legs, she immediately moved far away from the girl still frozen [unauthorized copy]in place. At the same time, she buried those wicked thoughts deep in her heart with a whoosh.

“Sorry… sorry, I…”

Her eyes wandered. Xie Shuyun could not come up with any proper excuse.

Seeing Cheng Lingxue’s expression, neither sad nor happy, she panicked a little. Looking around, she did not know how to salvage the terrible situation.

Suddenly, the mirror not far away made her eyes light up.

She immediately took it and placed it in front of Cheng Lingxue, saying dryly,

“Look, it’s very cute and very pretty. It really suits you.”

The person before her had suddenly moved far away, and then a mirror suddenly appeared, finally making Cheng Lingxue return to herself.

She looked at Xie Shuyun’s uneasy expression and the slightly trembling fingertips holding the mirror. Both made Cheng Lingxue furrow her brows lightly.

Was she that scary?

Did she need to be frightened like this?

It was as if Xie Shuyun had encountered some savage beast or flood.

A certain person’s attitude made Cheng Lingxue feel somewhat stifled.

She had completely not expected this change in her own attitude. In the past, she would definitely have harshly taught such a rude person a lesson. But even now, no such thought appeared in her mind.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing the dissatisfaction in her heart, Cheng Lingxue finally looked at the mirror, wanting to know what Xie Shuyun had put on her head.

In the end, she saw a pair of slightly trembling…

black cat ears?

As if she could not quite believe it, the young girl even raised her hand and touched them.

They really were cat ears.

Although she had seemed to see many people outside wearing animal ears like these, Cheng Lingxue had not cared. But now that she herself was wearing them, she felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment.

“Um… do they not look good?”

Carefully, Xie Shuyun only revealed her eyes as she watched the girl’s face go from blank, to disbelief, then to alternating green and red, before a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

This nameless state made Xie Shuyun even more uneasy.

As a result, the moment she opened her mouth, she immediately received an image-breaking eye roll from Cheng Lingxue.

Xie Shuyun shrank her neck, wanting to cry but having no tears.

She felt that she was always courting death, constantly testing the edge of danger.

She had originally thought Cheng Lingxue would angrily take off the cat ears. But instead, Xie Shuyun saw her turn around and search the cabinet. Then, imitating what Xie Shuyun had done earlier, Cheng Lingxue picked up a headband and placed it on Xie Shuyun’s head.

At the same time, she glanced at her and said faintly,

“Courtesy demands reciprocity.”

Blankly turning the mirror around to face herself, Xie Shuyun looked at the girl in the mirror, now wearing golden retriever ears identical to Pai Pai’s.

Her heroic aura was greatly reduced, replaced by a silly and cute appearance.

She immediately wanted to protest.

“This doesn’t suit—”

Before she could finish protesting, she was defeated by one look from Cheng Lingxue. She also knew she was in the wrong, so she could only shut her mouth and silently put the mirror back.

She did not see the trace of amusement flashing through Cheng Lingxue’s eyes as Cheng Lingxue looked at her drooping her head.

Didn’t suit her?

It clearly suited her very well.

Thinking this, Cheng Lingxue lowered her head and looked at Pai Pai, who was still reluctant to part with the bone toy. That drooping ears and tail appearance could be said to be exactly the same as a certain someone.

Look.

Practically identical.

After Xie Shuyun put the mirror away and turned her head, she saw that Cheng Lingxue had already paid. She was holding Pai Pai’s leash and waiting for her outside.

Her gaze moved upward. The cat ears on the young girl’s head had not been taken off either, making her unable to understand whether the other girl was angry or not.

But she did not want to step on a landmine. She simply kept up the attitude that if Cheng Lingxue did not mention it, she would also pretend not to know, and conscientiously held the umbrella for Cheng Lingxue.

The two girls and one dog played several more facilities. However, because there were truly too many guests and it was already noon, Xie Shuyun touched her slightly hungry stomach, and she and Cheng Lingxue headed to the dining area.

What made people happy was that the dining area was inside an extremely large building. They did not need to eat outside under the scorching sun. The cool air conditioning dispersed the heat from their bodies, making Xie Shuyun let out a long breath.

Only then did she carefully look at what was being sold in the dining area.

There were dazzling little food carts everywhere—giant burgers, popcorn, pasta, hamburgers, fried rice, fried noodles, and more. There were snacks, proper meals, and drinks too.

Looking left and right, Xie Shuyun ultimately handed the choice to Cheng Lingxue.

“Lingxue, is there anything in particular you want to eat?”

“I’m not very hungry…”

Cheng Lingxue was telling the truth.

After playing around for a while, combined with the scorching weather, everything added together meant that even though they had gone to many places, she did not feel particularly hungry.

“I see… At a time like this, eating hot food doesn’t seem very appetizing either… In that case…”

Muttering to herself, Xie Shuyun brought Cheng Lingxue to find a seat. Then she slipped into the crowd.

Cheng Lingxue did not panic over a certain someone’s departure. Rather, she was quite looking forward to what kind [read the original at bailiantales.com]of lunch the other girl would prepare.

She first lifted Pai Pai into the small recessed tray specially prepared for pets, then took out a bag from her small bag and poured some dog food for Pai Pai.

The little golden retriever was hungry too. His tail wagged wildly as he chewed with crunching sounds, shaking his little head and eating with great enjoyment.

Rubbing his little head, her fingertips kneaded Pai Pai’s soft ears.

Cheng Lingxue could not help thinking of the golden retriever ears she had placed on Xie Shuyun earlier.

She had actually not tried touching them.

The cat ears felt nice, so the golden retriever ears should not feel too bad either, right…?

With this thought circling in her mind, after an unknown amount of time, that person came out from the crowd carrying a tray.

“Lingxue, I’m back. I bought crepes. You like fruit, so I ordered a mixed fruit one for you. Here.”

Xie Shuyun handed one of the crepes in her hand to Cheng Lingxue.

The crispy crepe still emitted faint white steam. Inside was snow-white cream, topped with strawberries, bananas, mango, cantaloupe, and blueberries. It was colorful and instantly whetted one’s appetite.

Seeing that Cheng Lingxue did not take it immediately, Xie Shuyun quickly urged softly,

“Hurry and eat. If the crepe skin gets soft, it won’t taste good.”

“…Mm…”

Reaching out to take the crepe, Cheng Lingxue lowered her head and took a bite.

The sweetness of cream, the refreshing fruit, and the crisp crepe skin mixed together. It not only satisfied her taste buds, but also made the stomach that had not been hungry begin to feel faintly hungry.

Seeing Cheng Lingxue’s brows relax as she ate the crepe in small bites, Xie Shuyun continued placing the other food on the table while introducing them.

“I also bought two giant burgers, one serving of fries and fried hot dogs, one popcorn, and egg cakes. For drinks, there’s a strawberry milkshake and a mango milkshake. If it’s not enough, I’ll go buy more.”

As she spoke, Xie Shuyun picked up a fork, speared Read on BaiLianTales an egg cake, and placed it into her mouth. The freshly made egg cake was crispy on the outside and soft inside, making a crunching sound as she ate it. Xie Shuyun’s brows and eyes curved.

“What’s this?”

Licking the cream that had stained her lips, Cheng Lingxue noticed a transparent plastic box on the tray. Inside was a small hamburger about half the size of a palm.

“Ah, I almost forgot. They have lunches specially made for pets here. They’re all foods pets can eat, so I bought Pai Pai a beef burger. The shape is pretty realistic, right?”

“Aow?”

Hearing Xie Shuyun mention him, Pai Pai immediately lifted his head and barked. At the same time, he saw the small hamburger, as if knowing it was something meant for him.

His little tail wagged very happily, and he kept whimpering toward Cheng Lingxue.

Cheng Lingxue glanced at Pai Pai and opened the plastic box. A faint food fragrance came from inside. It was not as strongly seasoned as human food. Since the amusement park advertised that pets could eat it, it should not be a problem.

Holding this thought, she gently picked up the hamburger and placed it in front of Pai Pai.

Seeing that the food had arrived, Pai Pai immediately pounced on it. His whole face buried into the hamburger, and he [bailiantales.com]did not lift his head again. Only the sounds of chewing remained.

Seeing this, Cheng Lingxue nodded slightly toward Xie Shuyun.

“Looks like he really likes it.”

“That’s great. There were too many kinds of pet meals, so I picked the most popular one. Ah… Lingxue, you should hurry and eat too. This is your strawberry milkshake. Or do you want the mango one…”

The two girls and one dog slowly ate lunch, spending quite some time. But the flow of people in the dining area still did not decrease. Instead, there was a growing trend.

To avoid the crowd, they did not plan to continue staying there. However, just as they were about to go out, they were stopped by a staff member wearing a dog mascot costume, who handed them a form.

Xie Shuyun took it and looked. It turned out to be a registration questionnaire for the pet park’s afternoon tea. It featured limited-edition desserts for both humans and pets, available to only five hundred guests.

“You can still order the limited desserts now?”

Xie Shuyun asked.

Seeing the mascot costume nod, she quickly filled in the form to reserve the afternoon tea.

Only after finishing did she leisurely return to Cheng Lingxue’s side. Cheng Lingxue glanced sideways at her.

“What was that? A questionnaire?”

“No. It’s a special afternoon tea here, at three in the afternoon.”

As she spoke, Xie Shuyun paused, revealing a mysterious smile as she promised,

“You’ll definitely like it.”

“Then I’ll look forward to it.”

Walking out of the dining area, the sun outside was blazing. It was the hottest time of the day.

After finally dispelling the heat from their bodies, neither of them wanted to continue experiencing this kind of weather.

“Let’s go here.”

Looking at the map in Xie Shuyun’s hand, Cheng Lingxue finally pointed to a corner of the indoor activity area.