Chapter 282 - 64: Hang City Love Story

Afterward, the two of them ran backstage and, sure enough, saw two female assistants wearing identical leotards, wigs, and makeup, with nearly the same height and build.

The two assistants were laughing and chatting with the man playing the Magician. The three were clearly part of the same troupe and had been partners for a long time, creating a very relaxed atmosphere.

"See? You lost~"

Cheng Mengxue shook her head, looking very pleased with herself.

"I could tell right away! Those two women were dressed identically, but they couldn’t escape my sharp eyes!"

Jiang Ran studied the two women chatting backstage.

To be fair, now that he was observing them so closely, he could indeed see some slight differences in their facial features.

But under the dim lighting and the fast pace of the performance, it was truly difficult to tell them apart.

But this also proved that Cheng Mengxue’s idea was correct. The principle behind the magic trick wasn’t as complicated as Jiang Ran had thought, with tunnels under the stage or something of the sort...

Instead, it was very simple.

There were two identically dressed female assistants. One got into the wooden box and hid, while the other was already hidden in a dark room at the highest point of the auditorium, just waiting for the music to reach its loudest point before pushing open the door and appearing.

It seemed like a "Shifting Form and Shadow" or a clever misdirection, but it was actually just a "twin illusion"—a classic switcheroo.

"You really do have sharp eyes," Jiang Ran remarked with a sigh.

"Right?~"

Cheng Mengxue giggled.

"With eyes like these, if I decided to become a police officer, I’d definitely be a master detective who notices every little detail!"

...

Gradually, night fell. The amusement park entered its evening hours and, contrary to what one might expect, became even livelier.

As they passed a Western fantasy-themed area, a Witch in a small red tent, wearing a crooked hat and holding a crystal ball, beckoned to them.

"Care to have your fortunes told, you two?"

"Fortune-telling?"

Cheng Mengxue stopped in her tracks, her interest piqued.

Jiang Ran followed her into the Witch’s tent.

The woman playing the Witch chuckled slyly, placed the crystal ball on the table, and took out a deck of tarot cards.

"How about we do a tarot card reading? Which of you will it be?"

"Me, me, me!"

Cheng Mengxue couldn’t wait. She sat cross-legged on a cushion in front of the table, eager to start.

"So, young lady, what is it you wish to know?"

The Witch mysteriously shuffled the tarot cards and spread them out, all face down.

"Career, fortune, opportunity, or perhaps... love?"

With that, the Witch looked up at the attractive young couple before her and smiled knowingly.

"I think we should focus on love!"

Without waiting for an answer, she took Cheng Mengxue’s hand and began muttering some unintelligible Spell.

’Hold on a second!’

Jiang Ran was stunned.

’Is she a Witch or a salesperson? The customer hasn’t said a word, and she’s already going for the hard sell!’

’But...’

’Then again, the reading is free, so I guess it’s not worth making a fuss over.’

Soon, the Spell was complete.

The Witch released Cheng Mengxue’s hand and opened her eyes.

"Now, young lady, pick any one of these face-down tarot cards."

Cheng Mengxue looked down at the tarot cards covering the table, hesitating.

The back of every card was identical; it shouldn’t matter which one she picked.

"The card I pick will be my fortune?" Cheng Mengxue asked.

"It is the fortune of the love you will encounter."

The Witch chuckled.

"Go on, choose bravely. I will read it for you."

Finally, Cheng Mengxue chose a tarot card, placing her finger on its back.

The Witch had managed to build up Jiang Ran’s anticipation as well. He leaned forward, wanting to see what card Cheng Mengxue would turn over.

Cheng Mengxue took a deep breath and flipped the tarot card over—

It depicted a skeleton in a tattered cloak, holding a scythe and riding a white horse.

At the top was the Roman numeral 13, and at the bottom, the English word: DEATH.

It was obvious.

This was the 13th Major Arcana of the tarot cards...

Death.

"..." "..." "..."

The atmosphere in the tent became as silent as a walk-in freezer, and just as awkward.

Cheng Mengxue tilted her head.

"What does this card mean?"

The Witch pursed her lips, looking like she wanted to say something but was holding back. In the end, her professional duty compelled her to tell the truth.

"An end."

Just two words.

"Huh?"

Cheng Mengxue’s mouth fell open.

"But at the same time, it also means..." the Witch added.

"A new beginning."

...

This small, mystical interlude had no real effect on young people raised under the banner of materialism.

After leaving the Witch’s tent, the two went to the park’s theater.

It was a rather abstract live-action show.

A Priest used a Bible and a Cross as weapons to battle a fanged Vampire in a red robe.

The plot was very cliché. The Priest was being overpowered by the Vampire, but then, out of nowhere, an Angel descended from the sky to turn the tide of the battle. The Angel joined the Priest, and together they vaporized the Vampire with the righteous power of the Holy Light.

"You know, there are quite a few shows at Hangzhou Paradise," Cheng Mengxue said, feeling the trip was well worth it.

"Maybe they’ve just given up completely and decided to let their freak flag fly," Jiang Ran stated bluntly.

It was already 8:30 PM.

There was only half an hour left before the park closed.

For the grand finale of their day at the park, Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue looked up, their gazes simultaneously drawn to a giant, neon-lit wheel in the distance—

The Ferris wheel.

Ever since the world’s first Ferris wheel was unveiled in 1893, these behemoths have become a staple at amusement parks.

Initially, the Ferris wheel was just an exhibit at the Chicago World’s Fair. Its purpose was to compete for international influence with the Eiffel Tower, completed in 1889. It was one way the United States demonstrated its industrial prowess to the world.