Chapter 16: Holding Hands
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Lin Su stood under the downpour of “monsters” like falling stars from the sky and made a sincere wish—hoping the meteor shower would come down even harder. But the roller coaster only had about a dozen seats, and the launch was so exhilarating that every batch of “monsters” would scramble out of the splash pool and rush back into line as soon as they landed, eager for another round. Shi Wenze turned to him and asked, “Wanna go again?”
Wiping the water from his face, Lin Su figured, why not? He was already soaked to the bone—might as well ride a few more highs while he was at it. That mid-air hug had been brief, but it still counted, and since he hadn’t really been prepared the first time, he’d panicked a bit during takeoff. This time, he was determined to savor the feeling of that athletic chest wrapped tightly in a soaked button-up.
Time was precious, and Lin Su sprang into action. Shi Wenze was caught off guard, stumbling after him and nearly falling over. “Hey, slow down!”
Still, the truth was, Shi Wenze hadn’t minded that sudden embrace either. He actually wanted another one. It even felt like a missed opportunity. From any angle, he’d figured this sensitive, delicate artist wouldn’t be the type to handle thrill rides. And yet here Lin Su was—braver than expected and clearly not in need of comfort.
Both of them carried the giddy thrill of impending physical contact as they got back in line, somehow managing to turn a roller coaster into something bordering on an adults-only game. They were having way too much fun.
But just as they were getting ready for round two, the line suddenly stretched out of sight—longer than a train station during the Lunar New Year rush. Shi Wenze flagged down a nearby staff member and asked what happened.
It turned out a play at the neighboring theater had just let out, and a flood of audience members had poured into the park. Lin Su sighed. “Forget it. I’m not waiting in that. What else can we do?”
There were plenty of attractions, but not many that gave them a proper excuse to get close. Sitting on a bench with the map spread between them, Lin Su pointed at one, “Haunted Mystery House?”
“You scared?” Shi Wenze asked, eyebrows raised.
Lin Su snorted, offended. “Of course not.”
Shi Wenze nodded, If you’re not scared, then I’ll take the job of being scared. No matter what, today had to include a hand-holding moment with the guy who made his heart flutter—maybe even something more.
Looking around at the Haunted House line, it was clear that out of every ten visitors, nine were couples. The last one—a lonely guy named Qi Zhong—stood out like a sore thumb among the lovesick. He’d been hoping some other singles would show up, but just then, Lin Su and Shi Wenze strolled over, laughing and playfully tugging at each other while sharing a pair of pink strawberry ice cream cones—buy one get one free. Qi Zhong finally reached his breaking point. Grumbling curses under his breath, he flapped his arms and flew off. Men don’t eat strawberry ice cream!
Before the game started, a staff member dressed like a butler gave a quick introduction. The story was set in an old European castle, and players were encouraged to choose foreign names to better fit the setting.
Most people went with classics like Lucy, John, or Edward. The more outrageous ones just used textbook names like Li Lei and Han Meimei. But only Shi Wenze and Lin Su—true to form—chose utterly absurd yet strangely fitting names: “Old Pal” and “Groundhog.” Couldn’t fault them. Their foreign flair was undeniable. Lin Su, still drunk on that budding romantic glow, was happy to be love’s groundhog.
The haunted house was surprisingly well done. Shi Wenze had seen his fair share of crime scenes as a tracker over the years—even some involving dismembered bodies—but this place still managed to deliver a thrill. They hadn’t even rounded three corners when the screams started. Lin Su was quickly annoyed by the noise. Is this a horror game or a screaming contest? Despite being called a “Mystery House,” the game didn’t involve much real deduction. It was mostly about the scare factor.
Li Lei and Han Meimei—the real couple, maybe in their early twenties—seemed to be enjoying their own little happy ending, unlike their unresolved romance in middle school textbooks. Lin Su and Shi Wenze followed behind, initially envious of their hand-holding PDA, but that fantasy crumbled during the first puzzle checkpoint.
Even textbook Li Lei had the decency to ask, “Can I borrow your ruler?” But the real-life version wanted to show off, so he yanked a knife from a corpse’s hand without warning. Whatever mechanism he triggered sent the entire room into red flashing lights and blaring alarms. Han Meimei nearly screamed herself hoarse and then launched into a verbal tirade.
Other players had to not only solve the mystery but also mediate the couple’s blow-up like some kind of medieval relationship therapist. It was exhausting. Lin Su began to regret it. This wasn’t the romantic setting he’d imagined. Instead, it was an unfiltered glimpse into the ugly reality of post-romance fallout.
As for Shi Wenze’s “pretend to be scared” plan? Totally scrapped. Every male player around them looked like they’d just chugged a Red Bull—fearless and energetic. There was no room for vulnerability. The girls screamed pretty realistically, sure, but come on—a guy had his pride. He wasn’t about to out-squeal them.
Screw it. We’re already here. Let’s just finish this. They both had the same thought. Unfortunately, the haunted house was massive and strangely endless. They reached a bathroom scene where players had formed a circle around a clue. A screen flashed images and fragments of text—parts of the mystery puzzle. Shi Wenze and Lin Su stood near the doorway, uninterested in joining the fray.
After waiting a while and watching the arguments heat up with zero progress, they exchanged impressed looks. How were they even managing to make this worse?
One particularly stubborn guy with a turtle-like gait had somehow derailed the entire group. Shi Wenze tilted his head and whispered into Lin Su’s ear, “Shame I don’t have a friend who sells supplements. That guy’s a goldmine of gullibility.”
Lin Su burst out laughing just as the room suddenly fell silent. His laughter cut through the quiet like a siren. Everyone turned toward the doorway. The turtle-man glared and snapped, “Everyone else is working on the clues. You two shouldn’t be slacking off. Get over here!”
Lin Su raised a brow. “Pick the priest.”
“The priest?” someone asked.
“The murderer. Pick the priest,” Shi Wenze said as well. “Third row, third one.”
Both of them spoke lightly, but precisely because they were so casual, the mocking effect was fully maxed out. Just as the “good turtle” was about to open his mouth to argue back, Shi Wenze had already bent down, picked up a bouncy ball from the floor, and casually hurled it at the priest’s portrait.
“No!” Everyone tried to stop it, but they were still a step too late. The next moment, the tightly sealed room door burst open with a loud crash. Shi Wenze slipped an arm around Lin Su’s shoulder and repeated himself, “See? Pick the priest.”
The good turtle: “…”
“Why was it the priest?” a girl in the crowd asked after a moment.
Shi Wenze motioned for everyone to keep moving forward. The hand resting on Lin Su’s shoulder slid down along the way, and when they stepped up onto a raised platform, he naturally hooked their fingers together and softly reminded him, “Watch your step.”
Lin Su’s heart stirred slightly. He couldn’t help glancing at Shi Wenze, only to find that this handsome guy was staring straight ahead, calmly explaining to the others why the priest was the murderer, wearing the upright expression of a fine socialist youth who never got involved in romantic relationships.
Because the path was very rough, holding hands didn’t look strange at all. After a while, another big guy with horns on his head even squeezed over, trying to grab Lin Su’s hand as well—probably hoping to create a visual effect of the masses standing closely united to jointly face danger.
Lin Su: Who the hell are you?!
Although Shi Wenze looked like he was explaining the case, at least eighty percent of his attention had been focused on the warmth in his palm. His nerves had been strung taut, and he could clearly feel every inch of subtle contact, thinking that those slender knuckles might still carry the taste of strawberry cream. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip a little, and his voice grew even gentler.
The circle of male players around them: Damn it, why was this guy using such a nauseating voice when analyzing a murderer?
The female players, however, were all utterly bewitched. They began to reflect on how, even though they were all men, some could be tall, handsome, and logical, while their own boyfriends could only babble incoherently. Maybe this dull love was something they didn’t need to keep after all.
Shi Wenze had no idea that he had already turned a horror house into a breakup celebration. He only felt that the place was filled with chilly drafts, and that Lin Su’s clothes were still wet. He immediately lost all desire to continue, didn’t even want to finish the latter half, and directly called the butler to apply for an early exit, taking Lin Su and leaving the fake castle at once.
“Why did we stop playing?” Lin Su asked, sneezing.
“If we kept playing, you would’ve caught a cold,” Shi Wenze said. “Let’s go back and take a hot shower.”
Lin Su pointed at a stall. “Then let’s bring some red bean cakes back. What else do you want to eat?”
Shi Wenze had already become very skilled at being kept. He splurged extravagantly from his sponsor’s WeChat wallet, buying three large boxes of barbecue and a box of crayfish. It didn’t look like going on a date; it looked like heading off to watch a game.
Lin Su hesitated, wanting to say something. I know that half a sandwich definitely didn’t fill you up, but isn’t this route a bit too practical? In a three-hundred-plus-square-meter imperial suite, only the restaurant was even slightly romantic. Once barbecue, beer, and crayfish were laid out, the atmosphere was completely annihilated in one go. But Shi Wenze’s dating standards had always fluctuated like this—both the upper and lower limits were absurd, comparable to a stock market K-line chart. A novice, still not very proficient at the business.
Judging by the other man’s performance, Lin Su felt that he might need to contribute more effort to this tug-of-war. He stood in the bathroom, lost in thought as he turned on the shower, rinsing away the rose-scented foam covering his body. He felt that the fragrance smelled really cheap, so he firmly resolved never to use the same line of body lotion again. But the moment he opened the bedroom door in his bathrobe, Shi Wenze immediately sniffed like a big dog and sincerely praised, “That smells so good. What brand is it?”
Lin Su: “…”
Could they have just a little more tacit understanding? At this rate, it really would’ve been hard for them to live together in the future.
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