Chapter 19: Sharing a Bottle of Sunscreen at the Amusement Park

Xihe Road intersection, bus stop.

The bus to the amusement park runs once an hour. If you don't time it right, you're in for a long wait. Lin Shu had taken some time getting ready and, nearly late, had jogged the whole way there.

Xie Buchun had already arrived. He was sitting on a bench between two billboards, one leg propped up. He wore a simple t-shirt and cargo shorts, with a wristband on—he claimed it was for repelling bugs. He had swapped his usual earrings for solid black studs, which made his skin look even paler.

Lin Shu was wearing a dress and a wide-brimmed sun hat. Knowing there would be a lot of walking, she had agonized over the choice between pretty sandals and comfortable canvas shoes, ultimately settling on even more comfortable clogs.

They clacked with every step.
Like a little duck.
Xie Buchun looked at her clogs and laughed.

They sat with an arm's length of space between them. It was called chatting, but it felt more like trading barbs. Eventually, somehow, the conversation drifted to tofu pudding. Lin Shu, a staunch supporter of savory toppings, was shocked to learn that Xie Buchun added white sugar to his. By the time they were arguing over whether mooncakes should be filled with ham or sweet bean paste, an elderly woman pushing a cart piled high with vegetables slowly approached. Xie Buchun stood up naturally to offer his seat, moving to stand beside Lin Shu while continuing to debate the merits of bean paste mooncakes.

Exasperated by the argument, Lin Shu balled her fist and gave him a light punch.
The grandmother quickly interjected, "Now, children, no fighting."
Lin Shu blushed and settled for glaring at him instead.
Xie Buchun theatrically rubbed his arm, which only made the grandmother feel more sorry for him. It was ridiculous.

The bus arrived.
Xie Buchun helped the grandmother on first, then stepped aside to let Lin Shu board. The driver looked at the two of them and smiled kindly.

Lin Shu had once narcissistically wondered if Xie Buchun harbored some secret, lingering affection for her—which would explain why he hadn't hesitated to jump into the water to save her in her past life, and why he had stepped in immediately when she was harassed by Ji Xingshen and Fang Chao after she was reborn.

Now, she understood.
That was just the kind of person he was.
He was the type to lead a group of troublemakers to clean the playground early in the morning, the type to take the lead in queuing at the cafeteria, the type of boy who offered his seat without a second thought, the type who would notice someone else's plight and act with righteousness.
If someone else had fallen into the water in her past life, Xie Buchun likely would have jumped in just as readily.
Just as the world has people as excellent and cold as Ji Xingshen, it will always have people like Xie Buchun—who might not look like a "good guy," but is always ready to help.
It felt unfair, she realized, to label him a delinquent just because of his appearance and his poor grades.

Lin Shu was lost in thought.
Unnoticed, the bus became packed with people, all heading to the amusement park. Xie Buchun stood up to give his seat to a young child. Beside them, the child's mother was standing. Lin Shu noticed Xie Buchun reach over to help her adjust the air conditioning vent, whispering, "It's fine to let the kid sit. You stay seated."
She sat back down, squeezing her damp, warm palms.

The journey was stifling. It took an hour and twenty minutes to reach the amusement park located on the outskirts of the city.
Because they had VIP tickets, they breezed through the VIP entrance without waiting in line.
Xie Buchun remarked, "These tickets must have been pretty expensive."
Lin Shu tugged at her hat. "Someone gave them to me."

Xie Buchun added, "You didn't just buy them yourself and call them a gift just so I wouldn't feel burdened, did you?"
"You're crazy," Lin Shu said.
Xie Buchun chuckled.

Upon entering, they were greeted by the blue-roofed castle and parade floats. The steel structure of the roller coaster looked even more exaggerated in reality than in the advertisements. From the nearby drop tower, one could see hair flying and faces twisted into blurry masks of terror as people rose and fell in freefall.

Help.
She had ridden the drop tower and the biggest roller coaster when she came in middle school, but revisiting these sites now, as someone who had lived two lifetimes, all Lin Shu felt was dizzy.
Is it really possible to ride these things and not die?
This is an amusement park, not the gates of the underworld, right?

Xie Buchun asked why her face had gone pale.
Lin Shu curled her lip and claimed it was the sunscreen.
Xie Buchun said, "Put some on me."
...
No, why was the conversation heading in this direction?

They hadn't done anything yet; they just found a bench and sat down, and Xie Buchun started applying Lin Shu's sunscreen.
"Oh, that's not how you do it. Just spread it out, don't rub it in. Give it time to form a film. Don't be stingy, squeeze out more—a little bit is useless."
Lin Shu corrected him step by step.
Xie Buchun followed her instructions obediently.

In the end, there was a patch on his neck he hadn't covered evenly. Lin Shu reached out to smooth it over, but Xie Buchun froze. After a long moment, he turned back, arched an eyebrow, and said, "Taking advantage of me?"
"...Go to hell."
Xie Buchun lifted his scarred knee. "Lin Shu, can I put some here?"
That was from when Lin Zhou had hit him with his car.
The biting retort on the tip of Lin Shu's tongue was swallowed back down. She looked at Xie Buchun apologetically and offered to buy him ice cream.
Xie Buchun said they should wait until they were done, otherwise, he might throw up.
Come to think of it, he was right.

They chose a low-difficulty ride. It was like a roller coaster, but not as high, with a smaller drop but plenty of thrills, ending with a splashdown in the water, a bit like white-water rafting.
Wearing their ponchos, Lin Shu felt less nervous than when she first arrived. After all, what girl could stay nervous after teaching a clumsy, straight-laced guy how to apply sunscreen?

They sat in the second-to-last row.
As the ride started, Lin Shu instinctively scrunched up her face.
Xie Buchun raised his phone and snapped a photo. She accused him of being inhuman for launching a sneak attack. It wasn't until the car was halfway through the drop that she remembered to scream, while simultaneously pinching Xie Buchun's arm hard.

"Ahhh—I'm done for, we're all done for—"

They stepped off the ride soaked to the bone.
Having successfully desensitized herself, Lin Shu's eyes were bright, and she suggested in a raspy voice that they go again.
Xie Buchun lifted his arm, which was marked with four crescent-shaped indentations. "Are you playing with me?"
Uh.
You could say that.
Regardless, they were already wearing ponchos, so they might as well go again!

In the end, it took three rounds before Lin Shu was satisfied.
The drop tower, the roller coaster, the pendulum ride... Lin Shu dragged Xie Buchun onto every instrument of torture in the park.
They went to get ice cream and got cartoon stamps on their faces. Lin Shu had a smiling sunflower on hers, and Xie Buchun had a winking race car on his.

"There's a 4D theater, want to go?" Lin Shu asked, holding the guidebook.
Xie Buchun said the sun was setting, and the view from the Ferris wheel would be best right now. Lin Shu praised him for being quite clever, so they acted immediately and rushed to the Ferris wheel.

The cabin was cramped, had no air conditioning, and wasn't allowed to have the windows opened.
Sitting inside was like being in a sauna.
Fortunately, Lin Shu took off her hat and used it as a fan, fanning herself ten times for every one time she fanned Xie Buchun.
Bringing Xie Buchun to the amusement park had been the right choice. He wasn't afraid of heights or water, and as someone who rode a mountain bike to school, his stamina was incredible. Even after walking over ten thousand steps, he hadn't complained of fatigue once—he was much more durable than her own brother, who couldn't tell one grain of cereal from another and never lifted a finger.
He was a very fun companion.

Xie Buchun was filming the sunset.
Lin Shu took a couple of shots, too.
"Do you like sunsets?" Lin Shu asked, waving her hat.
"Not particularly," Xie Buchun replied.
"Then why do you keep filming them?"
"When I was a kid, my family and I watched the sunset from this Ferris wheel."

Lin Shu stopped fanning.
Xie Buchun's parents seemed to be divorced, or at least that's what Zhou Ya had said. Lin Shu's heart skipped a beat. Usually, she wouldn't have dared to ask such a thing at school, but for some reason, she found the courage to ask now.

"Hey, Xie Buchun, are your parents divorced?"