One Pet Gets Married

Chapter 36

"Why are you suddenly asking like that?!" Song Xici exclaimed, quickly stepping forward to create distance between herself and Tang You'an.

"Just asking." Tang You'an replied.

"No, no, how could that be possible? Think about it carefully. If you dared to do anything to me, with my personality, you'd definitely have been punched to a pulp by now. Would you still be standing here talking to me?" Song Xici waved her hand dismissively, then hurried off towards the parking garage.

As she opened the car door and sat down, Song Xici's heart was still pounding like a drum, thudding incessantly.

"I suppose so." Tang You'an stood there pondering for a moment, then rubbed her temples before following in her footsteps.

"By the way, I need to go home the day after tomorrow. After all, they are my parents here. Xici, do you want to come along?" Once seated in the car, Tang You'an fastened her seatbelt and turned to ask her.

"It shouldn't be a problem." Song Xici nodded after checking her schedule.

"Alright, then we'll go back together." Tang You'an nodded.

"Mm." Song Xici nodded, then started the car and drove off.

When they arrived at Rongcheng Amusement World, it was just 10 AM, a bit late. Since this was a newly built park, many people had come to visit out of curiosity. Even before entering the main gate, they could see it was quite lively inside.

Because Meng Meng loved these places, visiting amusement parks in almost every city they went to, Song Xici had accompanied her many times to similar places and was used to it by now.

But for Tang You'an, coming here was like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden—dazzling and eye-opening.

There were many people inside, as well as numerous staff members dressed in mascot costumes, taking small, clumsy steps, stopping here and there, and occasionally waving at passing visitors.

However, ideals are plump while reality is bony.

Earlier, while sitting in the car, Tang You'an had looked up many amusement park attractions, naively thinking she could try them all.

But upon arrival, she realized her mistake. Nearly every attraction had long queues of people waiting, so much so that from 10 AM to past noon, she and Song Xici only managed to ride two attractions—the drop tower and the roller coaster.

Moreover, she had initially thought these rides would last a while, but it turned out to be an hour of waiting for just a minute of fun. Tang You'an was bewildered; she didn't feel particularly tired, just that it wasn't worth the wait time.

Before they knew it, it was noon. Both were feeling a bit hungry, so they chose a burger restaurant inside the amusement park and went in.

Two shrimp burgers, two chicken wraps, one orange juice, and one milk tea constituted their lunch.

"So, how did you enjoy queuing for ages?" Song Xici asked Tang You'an while sipping her milk tea.

"I think it was alright." Tang You'an replied, playing with her straw, bending it into various shapes.

"Don't you feel tired?" Song Xici asked, taking a bite of her chicken wrap.

"With you by my side, I don't feel tired." Tang You'an answered.

Hearing this, Song Xici's chewing slowed down, and she smiled, lowering her head.

"Hello!" Suddenly, a hand slapped down on Song Xici's shoulder, nearly causing her to choke.

"Meng Meng?" Song Xici turned around to see the girl with a head of poodle curls.

"What a coincidence to run into you here!" Meng Meng said, then sat down next to her with a plate of food, grinning. She extended her hand towards Tang You'an, her eyes crinkling as she said, "Hello, little beauty~"

Caught off guard, Tang You'an almost choked on the words "little beauty."

"Hello, Miss Meng." Tang You'an smiled, releasing her straw.

"Don't be so formal. From now on, you should call each other by name. Otherwise, it feels weird." Song Xici interjected.

"Okay, okay!" Meng Meng nodded eagerly.

Today, Meng Meng wore a pink cocoon-shaped coat, making her look fresh and youthful, nothing like someone her age. She had also changed her hair color to blonde.

"You really seem to be getting younger, and your style is getting bolder." Song Xici laughed.

"Of course. It's strange, really. When I was younger, I preferred black, white, and gray with short hair. Now that I'm a bit older, I like princess curls, long hair, and all sorts of pastel clothes. To be honest, I now have a closet full of pink, blue, green, and lemon yellow clothes, along with a bunch of colored contact lenses and various temporary hair dyes. I feel like I'm turning into a Mary Sue." Meng Meng sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "I wish I could go back to being eighteen."

"Did you come alone?" Tang You'an asked.

"No, I came with the clam." Meng Meng shook her head, looking at Tang You'an sitting opposite her.

"The clam?" Tang You'an raised an eyebrow.

"Zhou Yi." Song Xici explained.

"Right, I thought she's been acting a bit strange lately, so I dragged her out to clear her mind." Meng Meng nodded.

"Did something happen to her?" Song Xici asked.

"I think it might be related to Chang Ye. Chang Ye's been involved in quite a few incidents recently. First, she was photographed late at night helping an old lady selling roasted sweet potatoes fend off a bunch of thugs. That went viral and got a lot of attention. Then she got caught up in dating rumors with a popular actor who's active in both film and music. They were photographed shopping together one minute, then dining together the next. So, Zhou Yi probably knows about it too." Meng Meng explained.

"Which actor?" Song Xici hadn't been following entertainment news lately.

"Yu Boxuan, Chang Ye's junior from the same agency. You know, the one with fans like a cult. I heard his fans have been attacking Chang Ye these past few days." Meng Meng continued to gossip. "Especially since it was announced that from the third episode of that variety show you're participating in, Feng Xiaoxiao and Gu Xueke will be leaving due to some issues, and their group will be replaced by Yu Boxuan and Chang Ye. Yu Boxuan's fans have gone crazy, cursing Chang Ye non-stop from last night until now."

"They're changing participants? Unbelievable. Your information is even more up-to-date than mine." Song Xici remarked.

"Haha, that's what you get for not paying attention." Meng Meng laughed.

"Ah." Song Xici sighed, adjusting her hat, then looked back.

Sure enough, she saw Zhou Yi standing at the food counter, carrying a tray of food and walking towards them.

Another all-black outfit, but her skin was extremely pale. She seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight, making her look like a vampire today.

Seeing this, Song Xici waved her hand at her.

"Hello." Zhou Yi sat down next to Tang You'an after walking over, nodding slightly.

"Hello." Tang You'an nodded back.

"Not busy today?" Song Xici asked.

"Took care of everything this morning." Zhou Yi unwrapped a burger.

"Why do you look like this? Like a ghost." Song Xici observed Zhou Yi for a while, then asked.

"Not getting enough sleep." Zhou Yi took a sip of coffee, looking up and answering flatly.

"Your dark circles are about to fall to the ground. Work can't be that busy, right? And why are you eating so little?" Song Xici looked at her nearly empty tray, which only had a box of mashed potatoes and a cup of coffee—a strange combination.

Zhou Yi looked up at her for a while before responding: "A bunch of people are watching me, waiting for me to mess up. I'll deal with them later."

At this point, Tang You'an turned her head and looked at her for a while, then carefully said, "That can only account for half the reason you can't eat, right?"

Zhou Yi's hand paused as she was about to scoop up some mashed potato. She turned to look at Tang You'an. "Yes."

"The person occupying your heart is the real root cause, isn't it?" Tang You'an swallowed her food.

Zhou Yi heard this, turned her head, picked up her coffee, took another small sip, then put the cup down. "Perhaps."

"Either forget or fight for it." Tang You'an said.

"She probably hates me. Fighting for it... might make me hate myself even more." Zhou Yi's finger traced the rim of her cup.

"Are you mainly afraid of causing her trouble, or afraid of being rejected by her?" Tang You'an looked at her. "These are two different issues."

Zhou Yi turned to look at her, remaining silent for a long time.

"I'm sorry, I was just expressing my thoughts. If I've offended you, please forgive me." Tang You'an added.

Song Xici and Meng Meng looked at Zhou Yi, then at Tang You'an, neither intervening.

Afterwards, everyone continued eating in silence.

After finishing their meal, since they had all gathered together anyway, the four decided to stick together and continue exploring the park.

"What attractions haven't you tried yet?" As they walked, Meng Meng turned to ask Song Xici and Tang You'an.

"We only rode the drop tower and roller coaster this morning. We haven't tried anything else." Tang You'an said, looking at the map marked with various attractions.

"Oh... Do you want to try the giant pendulum ride?" Meng Meng asked.

"Do you want to?" Tang You'an turned to look at Song Xici.

"I'm totally fine with it, but some people might feel dizzy after riding. You should be mentally prepared." Song Xici smiled.

"Dizzy? Is it like feeling drunk?" Tang You'an asked curiously.

Drunk... Hearing these words, Song Xici was suddenly reminded of Tang You'an from last night. Good thing she had forgotten about it.

"You'll know once you've ridden it." Song Xici glanced at her, dropping the subject.

Then, the group walked towards the attraction.

However, on the way there, Zhou Yi looked around boredly. Suddenly, her gaze fixed on a certain spot, and her folded arms slowly dropped to her sides.

"I'm going somewhere. You guys go ahead and play." she said to Tang You'an and the others, then turned and walked away without another word.

"Hey... Aren't you going to join us?" Meng Meng called out to her retreating figure.

But Zhou Yi continued walking as if she hadn't heard.

"What's wrong with her... She's acting so strange..." Meng Meng frowned.

"Who knows." Song Xici shrugged.

Tang You'an looked in that direction but said nothing.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the amusement park, as the carousel stopped, Chang Ye and Yu Boxuan got off.

"Cold?" After a while, Yu Boxuan put away his phone and looked at Chang Ye, who was dressed a bit thinly and occasionally rubbing her hands.

"Not really." Chang Ye shook her head.

"Is that so? I can see your hands are red from the cold." Yu Boxuan tilted his head, looking roguishly at Chang Ye's slender, pointed hands with reddened knuckles.

"It's fine." Chang Ye shook her head.

"How about I rub them for you?" Yu Boxuan leaned closer, reaching out his hand as he spoke.

"No need--" Chang Ye quickly stepped back.

"Sister Chang, why bother? Aren't we out on this date because the company arranged it for people to photograph us? If we act more intimate, wouldn't the publicity effect... be better?" Yu Boxuan smiled, then stood next to Chang Ye, putting his arm around her shoulders, his gaze fixed on her chest. "We'll be sharing a bed on that variety show soon anyway..."

Chang Ye detected the strange undertone in his words, so she removed his hand and smiled, "Mr. Yu, since you know it's arranged by the higher-ups in the company, I think some things should be kept within limits, don't you agree?"

"What are you pretending for?" Yu Boxuan frowned. "Sister Chang, do you think I would agree to the company's arrangement to create gossip with you if it weren't for your face? What other benefits could I get from this?"

Yu Boxuan's meaning was very clear. He agreed to lower himself to create gossip with a third-tier artist like Chang Ye and appear on a variety show with her solely for one thing—sex. If he couldn't get any benefits, he might as well quit altogether.

Chang Ye stood there, her eyebrows suddenly raised.

"Wouldn't it be better to be obedient? Or do you want to remain a small fry forever?" Yu Boxuan continued, reaching out to grab Chang Ye's hand again.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I suddenly feel unwell. I need to go home." Chang Ye looked up at him with a smile, tightened the strap of her bag on her shoulder, then turned and walked in a certain direction.

Yu Boxuan stood behind her, coldly watching Chang Ye's retreating figure. He then took out his phone and opened a chat with his manager: "I'm not doing this shit with Chang Ye anymore. I'm not taking that variety show either."

The manager, seeing this, was stunned and hurriedly asked: "What happened?! How can you change your mind so suddenly? The company is planning to promote her! Last time she accidentally went viral and was labeled as a positive energy goddess. Now is the perfect opportunity for her comeback. You've already gotten halfway through the publicity stunt, don't ruin the plan!"

Yu Boxuan smirked and replied: "Her future has nothing to do with me." After all, he wasn't short of one variety show.

At the same time, the photographers who had been arranged to "secretly" capture intimate moments between the two were also a bit confused.

Just then, Zhou Yi happened to walk up beside Yu Boxuan, who was wearing a hat, scarf, and mask. She stopped and glanced at him.

Yu Boxuan, noticing this, looked her up and down, his eyes showing a hint of amusement. "Want an autograph?"

This woman is hot, just a bit cold-looking, Yu Boxuan thought to himself.

"Are you Yu Boxuan?" However, Zhou Yi just asked flatly.

Yu Boxuan heard this and looked at her with a mix of confusion and surprise. What did she mean?

"You'd better not mess with her." Zhou Yi said, and the next second, she continued walking after Chang Ye.

Yu Boxuan stood there, petrified for a moment, then snorted softly. Was that woman threatening him?

Chang Ye walked into a restroom, turned on the faucet, put her hands under the water, squeezed some soap from the dispenser, and started washing them repeatedly.

But no matter how much she washed, she still felt incredibly dirty. Just a few more years, pay off the debt, save some money, start a small business, buy a house, and she could live the normal life she wanted, completely leaving behind this inhuman industry. Now, she no longer aspired for fame or fortune.

She had realized that in this industry, without solid connections or background, and unwilling to be taken advantage of... people who could make it big were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. And she wasn't cut out for it.

Zhou Yi stood at the entrance, peering slightly at Chang Ye who was bent over washing her hands, then closed her eyes, her brows furrowed tightly.

At this moment, Chang Ye finished washing her hands, dried them with paper towels, and turned to walk out. Seeing this, Zhou Yi quickly turned around and stood next to a fat cartoon pig statue, pressing herself against the wall.

"Chang Ye!" Suddenly, a girl's voice rang out.

Hearing this, Chang Ye reflexively turned her head to see two girls with cameras standing diagonally across from her. The next second, one of the girls raised the mineral water bottle in her hand and splashed it over Chang Ye's head--

It happened so suddenly that Chang Ye couldn't react in time, and in an instant, her hair was soaked.

"You slutty vixen, stay away from our Boxuan in the future--" The girl threw the empty water bottle into a nearby trash can and dusted off her hands.

At the same time, many people's attention was drawn to the sudden incident, and they took out their phones to record.

Water dripped from the ends of her hair, and Chang Ye looked at those people, her mind suddenly blank. Then, standing there, she suddenly started laughing. Whether it was due to the pressure accumulated over the years or something else, she couldn't cry, she could only laugh.

Laughing at her fate, laughing at the many dirty things existing in this circle, laughing at those who sincerely chase after their idols without knowing how despicable they truly are, laughing at herself for having such high combat skills yet unable to fight back like a normal person when bullied...

Chang Ye looked at those two girls, her eyes growing redder, her hands clenching tighter, almost grinding her teeth.

However, the next second, a large coat was suddenly draped over her, even covering her head, hiding her miserable appearance. Then, a hand gripped her shoulder, and she was pulled into a warm embrace.

Then, a familiar voice sounded in her ear:

"Calm down, don't do anything. Just follow me, don't think about anything, don't worry about anything. Even if you hate me, right now, you just need to look at the path and follow me. I'll take you away from here."

……

Meanwhile, as Tang You'an bought a grilled sausage and a squid skewer while queuing, and walked over to pat a small dinosaur's hand, the giant pendulum ride not far away started operating.

The giant pendulum started slowly at first, then gradually sped up, rotating while swinging back and forth. The people on it began screaming one after another.

So, Tang You'an turned her head to look and tapped Song Xici's shoulder. "Is that the giant pendulum?"

Song Xici heard this and nodded with a smile. "Yes, it is."

Meng Meng looked at Tang You'an, feeling strange that she had never experienced these rides before.

After that, Tang You'an, holding half an uneaten sausage and a squid skewer, pulled Song Xici and ran towards the ride.

"Slow down..." Song Xici complained softly.

"If we go slow, there will be more people in line!" Tang You'an said.

"I can't deal with you..." Helplessly, Song Xici could only pant and run after her.

Usually occasionally quiet as a mouse, but once food or fun was involved, she would instantly become as energetic as if she'd been injected with adrenaline—this was undoubtedly Tang You'an's true nature.

Still as a virgin, moving like a... no, moving like a mad dog.

But despite her complaints, looking at Tang You'an's back and her hair flying in the wind, Song Xici couldn't help but smile.

Meng Meng ran behind them, only able to sigh. Being a big third wheel seemed to be quite a tiring job too.

However, even though they ran there, when they arrived, they found that there were still quite a lot of people queuing.

"Speaking of which, how safe are the machines here?" After queuing for a while and finishing their food, Tang You'an rested her hands on the railing, squinting at the operating giant pendulum.

"What, are you scared now?" Song Xici looked at her teasingly. "Wasn't it you who kept clamoring to come here earlier? And now you're afraid?"

Tang You'an just smiled. "I am a bit scared, I suppose. After all, life is short, and I still want to spend more time with you."

Song Xici looked at her intently upon hearing this, then lowered her head and gently bit her lip. "Don't think about such things, otherwise we won't be able to enjoy ourselves."

Hearing this, Tang You'an turned to look at her, then smiled and nodded.

Meng Meng leaned against the railing, sighing, wondering when her partner would come to find her.

After queuing for a full hour and a half, it was finally their turn.

As they sat down in the seats, Song Xici, who usually didn't take these rides seriously, suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

Thinking for a moment, Song Xici turned her head, looked at Tang You'an beside her, took off her mask, and said softly, "Hey, what if I accidentally get thrown off later..."

But before she could finish saying "happen", Tang You'an leaned over and gently pressed her index finger against Song Xici's lips.

Song Xici froze, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Sorry..." Tang You'an, seeing this, slowly withdrew her hand.

So, Song Xici turned her head back and scratched her hair.

Not long after, everyone had completed their safety preparations. Then, the ride began to move slowly, and Song Xici quietly clenched her fists.

Tang You'an noticed this from the corner of her eye, paused for a moment, then quietly placed her hand over Song Xici's, gently patting it twice to help her relax.

Song Xici glanced at Tang You'an, then turned her head back, her eyes moving slightly, feeling that warm sensation seeping straight into her heart.

As the machine started up, the speed became faster and faster. Their hair was instantly blown about messily by the wind. At first, they screamed loudly along with the crowd, then began to laugh.

But just like before, this ride was over quickly too.

As they got off the seats, Song Xici was so dizzy she could barely tell which way was up. She just walked unsteadily, trying to straighten her wind-tousled hair that made her look like Sadako.

Finally, as if grabbing onto a lifeline, Song Xici clutched Tang You'an's arm with both hands, but in doing so, she ended up falling headfirst into Tang You'an's embrace.

"Are you alright?" Tang You'an looked at Song Xici in her arms and brushed her hair.

"Of course, of course I'm fine..." Song Xici, hearing the voice from above, coughed twice, then let go of Tang You'an's arm and headed back the way they came.

Midway, Song Xici looked back at her, then turned around and continued running like a startled rabbit.

Tang You'an smiled as she watched Song Xici's hurriedly retreating figure.

Meng Meng, standing to the side, looked at Tang You'an, then at Song Xici, and couldn't help but shake her head. It was over. Unfortunately, Song Xici probably didn't realize she was done for.

As they were leaving, Tang You'an went to buy a bottle of water. Then, while checking out, Tang You'an realized that the amusement park had taken photos of them during the ride.

So, Tang You'an took out her phone, opened WeChat, and had the clerk print out two copies.

After printing, Tang You'an walked over to Song Xici, who was waiting outside, carrying the water in one hand and the photos in the other.

"What's that?" Song Xici looked at the photos in her hand.

"Photos of us." Tang You'an held the photos up to Song Xici's face. "They look quite unique."

However, when Song Xici and Meng Meng took the photos, they were both stunned. These things were beyond just ugly.

"Why did you get these?" Song Xici glared at the photo, her gaze intense enough to burn holes in it.

"I think they're quite good." Tang You'an continued to smile.

"What's good about them? No, no, throw them away!" Song Xici said, tossing the photos towards a nearby trash can. "If you want to take photos with me, we can just ask Meng Meng to help us."

Tang You'an looked at the trash can, then at her. Well, whatever she says goes.

After that, the three of them prepared to continue walking.

However, after just a few steps, they heard the voices of two girls behind them.

Girl A: "Hey, isn't this photo of Tang You'an and Song Xici?"

Girl B: "Should we pick it up and take a look?"

Girl A: "Sure."

Girl B: "Holy crap, it really is!"

Girl A: "Look at Song Xici, her face all twisted, looking like she's been overindulging!"

Girl B: "And that girl in pink next to her, she looks like a crazed golden retriever!"

Girl A: "Look at Tang You'an, she's no better. Her hair is blown all over the place, hahaha, she looks like a human dandelion..."

……

Hearing this, Song Xici's face darkened. Then, with one hand grabbing Tang You'an and the other grabbing Meng Meng, she sprinted away like a long-distance runner, charging towards the distance.