Chapter 73 – A Kiss on the Roller Coaster

The sudden plunge made Lin Xiaowen’s heartbeat, which had just returned to normal, instantly drop into an unseen abyss. The icy walls of the tunnel seemed to skim right past her arms and cheeks as they hurtled downward!

The abrupt darkness forced her to clamp her eyes shut, and all around her were the screams of people and the roar of rushing wind...

Cheng Yishu could feel the small hand in his palm trembling uncontrollably, yet he couldn’t hear a single sound from the person beside him!

Turning his head, he saw that in the dim shadows, Lin Xiaowen was almost unable to breathe, her eyes squeezed shut and her lips pressed tightly together.

“This little woman… her courage really is…” he thought.

The roller coaster screamed through the tunnel, its speed and the wild twists growing ever more intense. Lin Xiaowen’s hair was whipped viciously by the wind, to the point she felt as if her scalp might be torn off...

Just as Lin Xiaowen could bear it no longer and was about to open her mouth to gasp for air, Cheng Yishu gripped her hand even tighter, turned, and kissed her cold lips—which were chilled by fear and anxiety.

Her unease slowly faded with his comfort...

Her panic was soothed by his presence...

So when everything finally returned to calm, she was still dazed, only coming back to herself when Cheng Yishu personally unfastened her safety harness and carried her out!

“I… Put me down, I can walk myself!” she protested.

“Behave yourself!” Cheng Yishu looked at the embarrassed little woman in his arms and said in a low voice, “If you’re so afraid, why insist on coming with me? Can you even walk? You’re trembling so much you couldn’t take a step.”

Lin Xiaowen puffed out her cheeks, wanting to retort, but her legs really didn’t seem to obey her. She simply closed her mouth and looked at Cheng Yishu with timid eyes...

With his long strides, Cheng Yishu’s princess carry was truly a sight to behold, both pleasing and comfortable!

Ignoring the astonished and envious onlookers, Lin Xiaowen allowed herself to enjoy the moment, admiring this man’s naturally tall and striking figure, and the innate charisma that drew every gaze.

“So, I do have the potential to be Cinderella...” she mused.

Just as Lin Xiaowen was lost in a daydream of herself in crystal slippers and a gold-threaded gown, dancing in the center of the ballroom with Cheng Yishu as her prince, the little Cinderella’s voice piped up!

“Wow, a princess carry…”

Little Ranran, eyes sparkling, pouted and whined softly to Cheng Yishu, “Brother Yishu, I want one too!”

Da Lingzi looked on, speechless, wanting to put a stop to this “nonsense,” but before she could say a word, Lin Xiaowen clung tighter to Cheng Yishu’s neck and, with a pitiful pout, declared to the little girl below, “Brother Yishu is always carrying you. Aren’t you satisfied? I don’t care! Today, your Brother Yishu is all mine!”

Da Lingzi was left gaping, forgetting what she’d wanted to say, while little Ranran sighed and replied, “Alright then, today Xiaowen is the little one, so I’ll generously lend you Brother Yishu!”

Cheng Yishu raised an eyebrow at the mother and daughter, then gently set Lin Xiaowen down, gazing at her with endless tenderness in his eyes.

“Did you have fun, Ranran? Did Aunt Ling bully you?” he asked, crouching to smooth the messy hair from her forehead. She’d played so wildly that her braids were uneven—one up, one down—but she was still adorable!

“No, Aunt Ling was really good to me. We even had shaved ice and bought lollipops... We rode the carousel twice!” Ranran nuzzled up to Da Lingzi’s leg, flashing her a squinty-eyed smile.

“Haha... Yes, we had a great time!” Da Lingzi forced a wry smile. Apart from needing to “go potty” and “wash hands” every so often, it wasn’t too bad!

Looking after a child was certainly no easy task. She hoped that, in the future, their family outings wouldn’t require her company—oh, poor her...

“Thank you, Lingzi!” Lin Xiaowen looked at Da Lingzi with genuine gratitude. Though not yet close, she could tell this girl was sincere.

“No need, it’s my pleasure!” Da Lingzi replied with a polite smile.

“Now that we’ve had our fun, let’s head home. It’ll take over an hour to get back to the city... Ranran, are you hungry? What would you like to eat? Afterward, we can go shopping for toys, how about that?”

Cheng Yishu was always endlessly patient and indulgent with Ranran. Ranran lit up, hugging his leg and exclaiming, “Really? We can buy toys?”

“Of course!” Cheng Yishu bent down and scooped her up. “Today, Brother Yishu is making up for Children’s Day for you, so you can celebrate however you like and pick any gift you want!”

“Yay, yay, yay!” Ranran cheered with flailing arms and legs, so excited that Cheng Yishu almost couldn’t hold on to her.

“Long live Brother Yishu!”

Lin Xiaowen rarely bought toys for her, so for Ranran, who was at the age of loving dolls, the freedom to choose any gift was the happiest thing imaginable!

Lin Xiaowen was both exasperated and delighted.

Exasperated at Cheng Yishu’s spoiling of Ranran, but delighted that Ranran finally had the kind of affection other children enjoyed—fatherly love.

“Alright, if you keep shouting, soon everyone will know your mother never buys you toys!” Lin Xiaowen feigned annoyance.

Ranran stuck out her tongue and shared a secret giggle with Cheng Yishu.

Da Lingzi, playing the roles of driver, nanny, and assistant—and, most importantly, Lin Xiaowen’s character inspector—took her duties seriously, even if she’d assigned herself the job.

But after a whole day, Da Lingzi realized she may have worried unnecessarily.

For dinner, Da Lingzi thought the mother and daughter would at least pick a fancy French restaurant. After all, for ordinary people, such opportunities were rare...

But instead, a simple meal of burgers and soda sufficed, and they enjoyed it immensely.

When it came to picking gifts, Ranran sensibly chose only the ones with the smallest price tags. Cheng Yishu insisted otherwise, but Ranran mimicked her mother’s stern face and said, “It’s my gift, so I get to decide!”

In the end, Cheng Yishu could only sigh and scold Lin Xiaowen, “This is all your doing!”

And when they went shopping, Lin Xiaowen didn’t pick a single thing for herself, instead choosing a few clothes for Cheng Yishu and a modestly priced dress for little Ranran.

She even bought a dress for Da Lingzi...

Though it was Cheng Yishu’s card paying, Da Lingzi couldn’t help but see Lin Xiaowen in a new light, charmed by her radiant and kind smile.

What touched her most, however, was when, just before parting, she “accidentally” overheard Lin Xiaowen pulling Cheng Yishu aside to say:

“Yishu, thank you so much for spending the day with us! But in the future, you mustn’t do this again... This career is your own choice, and whether you like it or not, you should give it your all, because it also carries the dreams of others... In your position, you must fulfill your responsibilities. As long as you remain an idol to thousands of fans, you should be the best role model for them! As for me…”

Lin Xiaowen smiled gently, taking Cheng Yishu’s hand. “We’ll wait for you at home, and whenever you have time, come by and I’ll cook for you! If you’re too busy to text or call, it’s alright. All these years, Ranran and I have done just fine on our own... So you can focus on your work and not worry about us... Alright?”