Chapter 35: Not Scary at All
Lin Yuejiu briefly explained the situation to him.
Xu Nian replied with an “Mm,” then said, “Get in the car and wait for me. I’ll go talk to him.”
“Okay.”
Xu Nian walked toward him, while Lin Yuejiu opened the car door and got into the back seat.
When she saw the person sitting there, she was surprised. “Xu Nianshen? What are you doing here?”
Xu Nianshen lifted his gaze to her.
Her outfit today was fresh and lively: high-waisted jeans hugging her long, slender legs with smooth lines, a white puff-sleeve top, her black hair flowing over her shoulders, and a small crossbody bag at her side.
“You dressed up specially today?”
His abrupt, contextless question caught Lin Yuejiu off guard. She then nodded. “Yeah, Xixi said that when going out with others, you should dress up a little.”
“She picked these clothes?”
“She found them in my wardrobe.”
“Mm.”
He fell silent again.
Sensing something was off, Lin Yuejiu tilted her head to look at him. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“What question?”
“…So you weren’t listening at all?”
“I asked, what are you doing here?” she repeated.
“Oh, I saw him heading out and was bored at home, so I tagged along.”
“Ohhh.” Lin Yuejiu nodded.
Xu Nian walked toward Lin Yimo, stopping a few steps away, one eyebrow raised, “What’s this, Young Master Lin? Need me to remind you that Jiujiu is no longer your sister?”
“Who told you to call her Jiujiu? Did she give you permission?” Lin Yimo’s eyes were tinged with hostility.
Xu Nian spread his hands. “Yeah, she did. She agreed herself—personally. She even calls me ‘brother.’ Having such a beautiful, sensible, and outstanding younger sister feels pretty great, don’t you think?”
Lin Yimo’s fists clenched.
Xu Nian’s playful smile gradually faded, his expression turning serious, “Lin Yimo, the severance agreement was signed by Jiujiu herself, and your family personally signed it after discussion. You were the one who didn’t want her first.”
Lin Yimo’s tightly clenched hands suddenly loosened, a dull ache spreading through his heart.
“You let her go first. Jiujiu has finally moved on. Since she’s worked so hard to put you behind her, please don’t disturb her life anymore. You walk your grand boulevard, she’ll walk her narrow bridge. Of course, I—and everyone else who cares for her—will be walking alongside her.”
With that, Xu Nian turned and left, ignoring whatever emotions Lin Yimo was feeling.
He got into the car, started it, and drove away.
Lin Yuejiu didn’t ask, and she didn’t want to.
Xu Nian stopped at a location—it was an amusement park.
Lin Yuejiu blinked. “Brother Xu Nian, you brought me here to play?”
“Yeah. I bet you’ve been so busy studying before that you’ve never been here, right?”
Lin Yuejiu answered honestly, “Never.”
Xu Nian smiled. “Well, there you go. Since you’ve never been, I’ll make sure you experience it today.”
Still sitting in the driver’s seat, he handed the pre-bought tickets to Xu Nianshen. “You two go in first, see what you want to play. I’ll go park and join you in a bit.”
“Mm.” Xu Nianshen took the tickets, glanced at Lin Yuejiu. “Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
As soon as they stepped through the amusement park gates, they were met with a cheerful atmosphere.
The dazzling variety of rides and the shrieks from the roller coaster made the blood in Lin Yuejiu’s veins race. She tugged at the sleeve of the person next to her.
“Have you… also never been here before?”
“I’ve been once.”
“When was that? What did you play?”
“The carousel.”
Lin Yuejiu turned to him with wide eyes, unable to believe that someone so aloof-looking had ridden something so childish.
Xu Nianshen gave her a sidelong look, a trace of helplessness in his eyes. “When I was six. My mom brought me.”
Lin Yuejiu instantly understood—it wasn’t his own idea. She’d half-thought he had some quirky hobby.
“And after that?”
“What do you mean, after that?”
“After the carousel—did you play anything else?”
“No.”
“??? Why?”
“Because I kept a straight face the whole time. My mom couldn’t stand it, so we went home.”
“….”
She could imagine the scene—a six-year-old boy, already handsome, sitting stone-faced on a cute carousel. Even she wouldn’t be able to stand it.
“What do you want to play first?” he asked.
Lin Yuejiu looked around. “Something not too intense to start. How about those spinning chairs? Looks alright.”
“Then let’s wait for my brother.”
“Okay.”
They sat on a bench until Xu Nian arrived. “Jiujiu, which one caught your eye? What do you want to try first?”
“The spinning chairs.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
When it was their turn, Xu Nian noticed she wasn’t nervous at all—in fact, she seemed excited.
“Jiujiu, you’re not scared?”
“Huh? Scared? Not really.”
She truly didn’t feel scared. Growing up in an orphanage, no one had ever taken her to an amusement park. After joining the Lin family, she’d focused all her energy on pleasing them, never asking to go out and play. This was her first time in an amusement park as an adult—everything was new and exciting.
Xu Nian smiled. “If you’re not scared, then go all out.”
The ride started up. Lin Yuejiu swung her legs in excitement as the speed increased. Wind rushed past her, lifting her dark hair into the air.
A few minutes later, when the ride stopped, Xu Nian and Xu Nianshen saw her sitting perfectly still in her seat. They quickly unfastened their belts and went over. “Jiujiu, what’s wrong? Were you scared?”
Slowly coming back to herself, Lin Yuejiu focused on their faces and smiled. “Fun. That was so thrilling!”
Both of them froze for a moment.
She went on excitedly. “Not scary at all—it was great! Let’s do the roller coaster next!”
They exchanged glances, then both laughed and nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”
On the roller coaster, Lin Yuejiu and Xu Nianshen sat together, Xu Nian in the row ahead. Seeing how high it went, she instinctively grabbed Xu Nianshen’s hand. He glanced at her—she seemed a bit tense. Looking down briefly at their joined hands, he didn’t say anything, just let her hold on, eyes forward.
When the coaster plunged down the slope, screams of fear filled the air. Lin Yuejiu stared ahead, her hair blown straight back. Suddenly she laughed, shouting—not in fear, but in exhilaration.
Xu Nianshen turned his head just in time to see the bright, carefree smile on her face—something he’d never seen before. It was dazzling, impossible to ignore.
And in his heart, he instinctively thought—this was how she was meant to be. At this beautiful age, radiant and unrestrained, she should shine and draw all eyes.
