Chapter 337 - 334: Ferris Wheel

Chapter 337: Chapter 334: Ferris Wheel

Jiang Xia looked in the direction she indicated. A man and a woman were waiting in line by the merry-go-round. Though he could only see their profiles, it was clearly them. Each was holding an ice cream. In the dead of winter, too. They were really going for it.

"Tsk tsk, looks like they’re making good progress," he teased with a laugh.

"Are they dating?" Lin Yanwan asked.

Jiang Xia shrugged. "When two people agree to come to a place like this, even if they aren’t dating, they’re not far off."

He knew full well that Old Wang had never managed to successfully ask Shen Ying out before. Even if they hadn’t confessed their feelings yet, they were clearly in that mutual, ambiguous stage. As long as nothing unexpected happened, the chances of them getting together were extremely high.

"That’s true," Lin Yanwan nodded.

Jiang Xia suddenly smiled. "Babe, do you know why Old Wang was in such a hurry to come back the other day?"

"Wasn’t it to come home and..." Her words trailed off as her eyes widened in disbelief. She glanced toward Wang Ming, astonished. "Are you saying he came back early just for Yingying?"

"That guy’s too shy. He wouldn’t dare let his godmother know about this."

Jiang Xia continued, "The day his plane landed in Yu Du, he went straight to the Business University to find Shen Ying. The next day, they came home together. Their relationship must have heated up quickly during that time."

Lin Yanwan clicked her tongue. She never thought there’d come a day when Old Wang would take the initiative. She hadn’t known any of this.

Just then, Lin Xiaoman also spotted the couple and was about to shout, "Brother Wang Ming! Sister Shen Ying!" when Jiang Xia quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Xiao Man, we’re playing a game of hide-and-seek with them. We can’t let them find us, understand?"

"Huh?! Then I can’t call out to them." His little sister-in-law immediately ducked behind Jiang Xia and asked dazedly, "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, do we need to hide?"

Jiang Xia chuckled and patted her head. "Nope. It’s crowded right now, so as long as we’re careful, they won’t notice us."

"Ooh! Xiao Man definitely won’t let them find us!"

"Good girl, Xiao Man~"

After waiting in line for a short while, the Ferris wheel completed a rotation and stopped in front of them.

"Let’s go, Xiao Man. Time for the Ferris wheel."

Jiang Xia took his wife’s hand, Lin Yanwan took her sister’s, and the three of them stepped into the cabin.

◇

Shen Ying licked her ice cream, taking small bites. She glanced toward the Ferris wheel, and for some reason, one of the figures looked very familiar.

"Wang Ming, is that Yanwan and her group?" Shen Ying asked.

"Where?"

"Over by the Ferris wheel."

Wang Ming looked up, but his view was blocked by the moving crowd. He couldn’t make out anyone clearly.

He pursed his lips and said, a little uncertain, "Probably not, right? What are the odds? Now that he’s come clean with his family, he’s either at home or with Yanwan. Why would he come here for no reason?"

"Oh, maybe I was mistaken," Shen Ying said, sticking out her tongue playfully.

’When Wang Ming asked her out today, she’d agreed almost without a second thought. But part of her was subconsciously afraid of being seen by anyone they knew.’

’She wasn’t sure if what she felt for Wang Ming was really ’like,’ or if it was still just a crush.’

’Back when Yanwan and Jiang Xia were in that ambiguous phase, she, as a bystander, could tell at a glance that they were falling in love. She’d even cited tropes from romance novels, sounding so sure of herself. So why was she so confused now that it was her turn?’

"Shen Ying, it’s our turn."

Wang Ming’s voice pulled her from her wandering thoughts back to reality.

She looked at the now-stationary merry-go-round, then straddled one of the horses. Wang Ming, a half-step behind, mounted the one beside her. As the music began to play, the horses started bobbing up and down, rotating around the center.

"I always thought merry-go-rounds were for little kids," Shen Ying said with a sudden laugh. Her body rose and fell with the movement of her horse, and a soft wisp of hair tickled her forehead, fluttering about and constantly obscuring her bright eyes.

She didn’t look back, but she spread her arms wide. It was obvious she was very happy.

"Generally speaking, yeah, but a lot of couples also—" Halfway through, he stopped, slightly embarrassed. He and Shen Ying weren’t a couple yet; how could he have let that slip out?

Shen Ying naturally understood what he meant. Her gaze fell upon the other horses on the ride. Besides children with their parents, there were a few young couples sharing a single horse, holding onto each other. ’So is that how couples are supposed to ride? Holding each other like that?’

Wang Ming stared at Shen Ying’s back, unable to guess what was on her mind. ’I could just slap myself,’ he thought. ’Why can’t I keep my big mouth shut?’

’He’d gotten advice from Jiang Xia about this. A lot of people get along great during the ambiguous stage, but as soon as one person confesses their true feelings, that special vibe they had is gone forever.’

’But,’ Wang Ming thought, ’Shen Ying has to know how I feel about her. Our relationship has progressed so quickly lately. We talk on the phone every day, sometimes late into the night. And the fact that she agreed to come to the amusement park with me today... that says a lot on its own.’

He looked up at the slowly turning Ferris wheel. ’Everyone online says Ferris wheels are the holy grail for dates,’ he mused. ’The success rate for confessions on them is supposed to be super high.’

’Up there, no one can interrupt you, and the girl can’t run away. While she’s lost in thought, gazing at the beautiful scenery outside, the guy can get down on one knee, take out a ring he’s already prepared, and pour his heart out.’

’Whether she wants to listen or not, she has no choice but to hear you out. In those ten long minutes, a smooth talker could even move a girl he just met to tears!’

Wang Ming wondered, ’Should I take this chance and confess to Shen Ying up there?’

’Legend says that every cabin on a Ferris wheel is filled with happiness. For every rotation it completes, another couple on Earth shares a kiss.’

’To rise high into the sky with the one you love... when you reach the top, happiness is at your feet. By confessing your feelings in the place closest to the gods, your fervent, devout heart will move them to grant your wish.’

At this thought, Wang Ming felt a stir of temptation.

’Spending ten minutes alone with Shen Ying, dozens of meters up in the air... it’s definitely way more romantic than being stared at by a crowd on a merry-go-round.’

’But he hadn’t prepared any flowers or a ring. And he wasn’t a smooth talker like Jiang Xia, the kind of guy who could casually talk a girl like Zhang Yuanyuan into getting a hotel room.’

He swallowed hard, his mind racing with indecision. But finally, he made a decision.

As the merry-go-round slowly came to a stop, Wang Ming stood wringing his hands, his face flushing for no apparent reason. "Shen Ying," he said, "do you want to... go on the Ferris wheel?"

Shen Ying turned back and stared into his eyes, her expression serious for a long moment. Then, her face broke into a radiant smile.

"Okay."