Chapter 16
The original novel’s main protagonist, the receiver of affection (shou), grew up in Yinlu County. After graduating from university elsewhere, he returned to Yinlu County to care for his elderly grandmother and became a fairly well-known local painter.
Lin Zheng slapped his forehead. He had actually forgotten such an important plot point.
But speaking of it, Gu Lin and the original novel’s shou didn’t meet in Yinlu County. Could it be that because he changed the earlier plot, the later plot also changed, and Gu Lin and the original shou’s meeting was brought forward?
However, this was just his guess. Whether it was true or not, he could only wait and see how the plot developed after arriving in Yinlu County in the afternoon.
Then, afternoon arrived.
“What? We’re not going today, it’s changed to tomorrow?” Lin Zheng confirmed again.
“Mm.” Gu Lin replied without hesitation.
Lin Zheng deflated. “Okay.”
He had originally wanted to see how the plot would develop, but today and tomorrow were only a day apart; it wasn’t a huge difference.
He asked, “Then what are we doing today? Staying in the hotel?”
Gu Lin’s original itinerary was changed to go to Yinlu County, but now they couldn’t go to Yinlu County either, leaving the entire afternoon free.
“What’s the point of staying in the hotel? Of course, we’re going out.”
“Going out? Where to?”
Gu Lin curled his lips. “On a date.”
“A…date?” Lin Zheng said uncertainly.
Gu Lin stood up from his seat, and as he passed Lin Zheng, he took the car keys from Lin Zheng’s hand. “Go back to the room and get ready. Let’s go.”
Lin Zheng hurriedly said, “Oh.”
Gu Lin drove.
At work, Lin Zheng was Gu Lin’s subordinate; outside of work, the passenger seat was specifically reserved for Lin Zheng.
Lin Zheng thought that Gu Lin’s so-called date would be like before—going to a high-end restaurant for a meal, perhaps with a violin performance. Just like Gu Lin himself, even his dates were perfectly arranged.
However, this time, Gu Lin didn’t take him to a restaurant, but to an amusement park full of people.
Y City is a coastal city. Due to its geographical location, although winter was approaching, the weather here felt like it had just entered autumn. The sun was excessively hot, and it was midday.
Although amusement parks are gathering places for many young couples, looking around, the only two men who came together…seemed to be him and Gu Lin.
Lin Zheng looked at Gu Lin in confusion. “This…isn’t it a little inappropriate for two grown men?”
Gu Lin put on his sunglasses, asking somewhat absentmindedly, “What’s inappropriate?”
Lin Zheng pointed at the sunglasses in Gu Lin’s hand, his mouth agape, with a betrayed expression, he questioned, “When did you prepare those sunglasses? Why do you have them and I don’t?”
Gu Lin looked into the distance, reaching out to ruffle Lin Zheng’s head twice. “Why would you wear sunglasses? It would hide your cute eyes. Hmm, that one over there looks fun; let’s try it.”
He went over first.
Lin Zheng looked at his departing back, speechless.
So-called date, it’s all an excuse; he just wanted to play, right?
He was definitely tricked.
The two of them were queuing for the drop tower.
Today, Gu Lin rarely wore a suit. He wore a casual, retro shirt, the front tucked into light blue jeans, the top few buttons undone, revealing a bit of clavicle, looking incredibly sexy. His hair wasn’t as neatly styled as usual, it was more casually tousled. The sunglasses hid his peach blossom eyes, making him appear somewhat aloof and unapproachable, but his tall figure and perfect proportions continued to attract the attention of everyone around him.
“So handsome! Is he a celebrity?”
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a handsome man in real life!”
“Should we go ask for his WeChat?”
“Someone so handsome must have a girlfriend.”
Standing next to Gu Lin, Lin Zheng instantly felt like a plain background board, his existence solely to highlight Gu Lin’s striking appearance.
But being a background board also had its advantages…at least he was useful!
In terms of maintaining his composure, Lin Zheng could only be second; no one dared to be first.
As they neared the front of the line, Lin Zheng looked up at the drop tower slowly rising, pointed at the people in front of them, and softly asked, “Gu Zong, are we really going to ride this?”
Gu Lin folded his arms and turned to look at him, with a relaxed expression. “What? Scared?”
Lin Zheng honestly said, “…A little.”
Lin Zheng wasn’t very good with these strange and unusual things.
“Is that so? Then let’s not ride it?” Gu Lin asked.
Lin Zheng quickly nodded.
“Okay, let’s try a different ride,” Gu Lin pointed to the opposite side, “How about a roller coaster?”
Lin Zheng followed his gaze, just in time to see a roller coaster carrying people whirling 360 degrees on the track…
Lin Zheng smiled, “No, let’s just ride the drop tower.”
Gu Lin nodded, “Mm, okay.”
As they sat on the drop tower, Lin Zheng’s heart was trembling. He repeatedly confirmed with the staff if the seatbelt was fastened correctly, if the handrail was sturdy, bothering the staff to the point of annoyance.
Gu Lin just watched from the side, without saying anything, maliciously enjoying it.
The machine started, and Lin Zheng wanted to cry.
“Are you that scared?” Gu Lin asked beside him.
Lin Zheng wanted to say, “You’re not scared, you try it!”, but then he suddenly remembered that Gu Lin was already trying it, so he retracted his words and said, “Anyway, you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Who says I wouldn’t believe you? I believe everything you say.”
Lin Zheng’s eyes were full of disdain, “The traitor who secretly got sunglasses shouldn’t say such nice things.”
“If you also like them, I’ll buy you a pair after we get off safely.”
“Safely…get off?” Lin Zheng stammered, “Hey, don’t say such weird things at a time like this.”
Lin Zheng had just finished speaking when the drop tower began to slowly ascend.
“Gu Lin, Gu Lin…” Lin Zheng’s voice trembled.
Gu Lin responded, “Mm.”
The drop tower took a few seconds to reach the top, and Lin Zheng called Gu Lin’s name several times in a trembling voice.
Gu Lin replied, “I’m here.”
The drop tower reached its highest point and paused for a moment. During this pause, Lin Zheng looked at the person next to him, and squeezed his arm tightly, “You said you’d buy me sunglasses after we get off.”
Gu Lin’s expression changed. “Mm, I can buy you as many pairs as you want, but can you not squeeze my arm so tightly?”
Accompanied by a heart-wrenching cry of “No!”, the drop tower plunged downwards, followed by the screams of countless people, including Lin Zheng.
After landing, Lin Zheng leaned on the railing and vomited for a long time, but nothing came out.
Gu Lin was surprised beside him, expressing that he didn’t expect Lin Zheng to be so scared; his intention was just to let Lin Zheng relax and de-stress.
Lin Zheng thought, You didn’t want me to relax and de-stress, you wanted me to lose my life.
Gu Lin pondered for a moment, “Maybe you’re not used to it yet. Maybe if we try a roller coaster, you’ll get used to it.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Zheng’s face turned pale.
Gu Lin laughed gleefully, taking off his sunglasses and putting them on Lin Zheng’s face, “Just kidding.”
Lin Zheng adjusted the sunglasses on his face and coolly flicked his hair.
He thought, Because of the sunglasses, I’ll spare your life today.
Abandoning those overly exciting and thrilling rides, they chose a few gentler ones. After taking off his sunglasses, Gu Lin became even more eye-catching and dazzling in the crowd. A large group of people often looked at them, and some seemed to have recognized Gu Lin, secretly taking many photos of him.
Lin Zheng was a little panicked. Although he was wearing sunglasses, it wasn’t guaranteed that people wouldn’t recognize him, and if they did, it would be another big news story. However, Gu Lin was completely immersed in the amusement park rides.
Lin Zheng originally thought that a big shot like Gu Lin would have absolutely no interest in these things that young couples do in amusement parks; dates would have to be at top-tier restaurants, top-tier atmospheres. But Gu Lin still surprised him.
And even more surprisingly…
Goodness, this guy even wanted to try the bouncy castle for kids! How miserable was his childhood?!
Finally, Lin Zheng coaxed him back with ice cream—not one scoop, but two.
Are all big shots this childish when they’re being childish?
Hey, one second you’re saying he’s childish, the next second he’s taking out a cigarette to smoke.
Lin Zheng reached out and snatched the cigarette from Gu Lin’s hand before he could light it, sternly saying, “No smoking, there are children everywhere.”
Gu Lin pointed to the sign above their heads. Lin Zheng looked up and saw three large characters—SMOKING AREA.
Lin Zheng: “…”
Lin Zheng awkwardly handed the cigarette back to Gu Lin. “Fine, go ahead and smoke.” But Gu Lin smiled and casually threw the unlit cigarette into a trash can.
The entire afternoon, Lin Zheng spent more time eating snacks than playing rides. Initially, Gu Lin wouldn’t let him eat, but later he let him, and even took many photos of him when his mouth was full of oil.
Lin Zheng wasn’t to be outdone and took many photos of Gu Lin as well. He originally wanted to take some embarrassing photos of Gu Lin, but this man was just too damn perfect; no matter what angle he shot, he could barely find any flaws.
Later, Lin Zheng concluded that it must be because his phone’s camera function was too good, so he took a selfie, but was bumped by a child as he pressed the shutter button, and his cool expression instantly became a meme.
“…”
This wicked society.
When they returned to the hotel, it was already evening. The sky was dyed orange, and the city was enveloped in a warm-colored curtain. The view from the window had a special charm.
Lin Zheng wanted to take out his phone to take a commemorative photo, but he fumbled around for a long time and couldn’t find it. He remembered that Gu Lin was looking through the photos they had taken today.
At that moment, Gu Lin’s voice came from behind him, “When did you take this? It’s so ugly.”
Lin Zheng turned around, leaning against the window, looking at Gu Lin’s ridiculously self-satisfied expression. There wasn’t a single photo he took of Gu Lin that could be described as ugly.
“Hmm? This one…was this taken in the airport lounge yesterday?” Gu Lin asked.
At the mention of this, Lin Zheng jolted.
At the airport, he took pictures of Gu Lin sleeping and edited them with various memes, specifically saving the edited photo. If Gu Lin scrolled down one more picture, it would be the meme photo.
Lin Zheng’s movements weren’t as fast as Gu Lin’s fingers. Just as he was about to lunge forward to grab the phone from the person sitting at the foot of the bed, Gu Lin had already found the edited photo and showed it to Lin Zheng, feigning ignorance and asking, “What’s this?”
Lin Zheng thought, It’s over.
Ten minutes later, Lin Zheng looked at the extremely edited version of himself on Gu Lin’s phone: exaggerated pigtails, thick sideburns, tiny eyes like soybeans, a flattened nose bridge as if run over by an excavator. More importantly, Gu Lin forced him to watch the entire editing process, but it was too ugly, really too ugly.
But it was also very funny, really ugly and funny.
Probably only Lin Zheng could laugh at his own ugly photos.
“Change it, this is really too ugly. I didn’t edit you this badly.”
Gu Lin propped one hand on his side, tilting his head to look at the person sitting in front of him, smiling and saying, “Where’s it ugly? It’s so cute.”
“Cute? You call this cute?” Lin Zheng covered his eyes; he couldn’t bear to look. “Please, change the style; this is really too ugly.”
Gu Lin raised the hand that was propping him up, reaching around Lin Zheng’s left side, and holding the phone with both hands, he enveloped the person from behind in a hug.
He tapped the phone a few times.
“Then…how about this one?”
Gu Lin’s warm voice came from Lin Zheng’s ear. Lin Zheng tentatively opened his eyes, and the image of himself on Gu Lin’s phone instantly came into view.
The originally extremely ugly photo had been restored to its original state, but a pair of fluffy white rabbit ears had been added to his head.
Gu Lin’s mouth approached his ear, whispering softly, “I love bunnies the most.”
What a flirt