After the movie, the team headed to the amusement park, where they now stood in line for fries as they entered the park, chattering and laughing at jokes.

Meilin made her way to the group, joining in on the lively atmosphere. Everyone was present except for Ningshun, who kept his distance from the rest of the group. Her gaze fixed on him—only him. The screams of kids and sounds of cameras faded around her.

"Isn't Ningshun getting any?" she asked.

"He said he isn't hungry," Han replied.

She recalled that Ningshun had gone the entire day without eating, suspecting it had something to do with the phone call earlier. She could not shake the memory of his fingers trembling as he held his phone, which might have left him not in the mood for snacks—or even for having fun—despite his earlier enthusiasm about going to the amusement park.

'So unlike him,' she thought, peering at Ningshun standing farther away. 'I was wrong about him.'

The tightness in his jaws.

'He isn't perfect.'

The tremble in his hands.

'He's... more than that.'

The unrhythmic pacing of his walk earlier, more like wandering.

'Better... than that.'

His head in the clouds.

'He's human, just like the rest of us.'

Shaking her head to snap out of her thoughts, Meilin felt someone poke her shoulder. Turning around, she saw it was Yuming.

"Hey, we need to talk." Yuming tugged at Meilin's sleeve.

Kaili, unable to keep his eyes away from Yuming, tore his gaze from her and met Meilin's, a hint of anxiety in his expression.

"S-Sure..." Meilin murmured, slowly breaking eye contact with Kaili, now fixated on Yuming.

It did not take long for Yuming to spill the beans, though Meilin had a feeling about where their conversation would lead. It did not take a genius to see the amount of attention Kaili had devoted to Yuming, making the group—especially Hooman and Ningshun—to roll their eyes at them, calling them cheesy. Kaili, however, did not seem to mind at all.

"Oh, my God. I just have to ask!" Yuming exclaimed, her voice pitching high like a schoolgirl. She had to know more about Kaili.

So, Meilin answered all her lingering questions about him—from his favorite snacks to his daily activities, and, most importantly, whether Meilin thought he was a man worth investing her time and energy in.

"Kaili has always been a good friend of mine. He's always had my back." Meilin took Yuming's hand, offering a warm, comforting squeeze. "He's a good guy."

Yuming nodded with a smile, and they both returned to the line as their turn approached. Minutes passed, and everyone except Ningshun got their fries and drinks.

In the distance, Ningshun sat at the edge of a star-shaped fountain. Different shades of azure mosaics shone under the light, while gentle ripples flowed outward from the center, where a small jet sent a stream upward.

Empty-handed and stoic, he caught the uttered "Excuse me," "Coming through," and "Sorry"—a voice he would recognize anywhere, prompting him to turn his head a little and peer from the corner of his eye.

Meilin held two buckets of fries in each hand, barely holding them with her chin for support.

Raising an eyebrow, Ningshun just had to ask, "Are you that hungry?"

As Meilin settled beside him, she turned to her left and grabbed one of the carton buckets.

Waiting for a reply that did not come, he added, "Never min—"

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"Here!" She caught him off guard, placing the fries on his lap with a wide smile.

Lowering his gaze to the bucket, his eyes widened. "For me?"

"Of course, silly," she quipped. She pierced the wooden fork into the fries. As she took a bite through the crispy surface, the warm, fluffy interior released a pleasant flavor in her mouth.

"I said I'm not hungry."

"I... well, I just thought you'd like some anyway."

Ningshun's brows lifted, his stoic expression faltering as his mouth parted, as if he had something to say but held back. He curled his lips. "Thanks, Meilin." He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head a little. She had truly gone out of her way. "You really thought of everything, didn't you?"

She shrugged, waving off his comment with a sheepish grin.

"No, that would be me." Hooman appeared, grinning and suppressing a chuckle as he revealed a large paper cup with a lid, placing it beside Ningshun. "You two thirsty?"

"Wh-What..." Meilin stammered, warmth rushing to her cheeks.

Ningshun grabbed the oversized cup and blinked—not at its size, but at the two straws through the lid. "Really, Hooman?"

Hooman opened his mouth to reply but stopped as Kaili and Yuming entered the scene, holding the same cup with two straws in it.

Meilin's jaw dropped. Her best friend, who had known Kaili for less than a day, was already sharing a cup with him. "What... did I miss...?"

Eyes wide and unmoving, Ningshun, who held a single fry, let it slip from his fingers. "Beats me..." he murmured slowly, his voice almost a whisper.

Glancing at the 'assumingly new' couple's dynamic—Yuming laughing at Kaili's jokes before they both took a sip from the same cup—Meilin turned her gaze to Hooman, who wore a mischievous smirk. She recalled how he had cornered her and Ningshun with this ridiculous joke, shoving the couple cup into their hands.

Ningshun side-eyed Meilin, catching her glance at him before she looked away. He cleared his throat. "You can have this. It's fine." With that, he placed the cup in her hands, stood up, and left, still holding his fries.

"Hey! How am I supposed to..." She sighed.

As Ningshun strolled further away, it felt like he took a piece of her with him, though Meilin could not say what it was—perhaps a fragment of the memories they shared. Each of his steps deepened the mark left by the absence of the smile he once gave her so freely; now, it felt like just wishful thinking.

Had she taken his kindness for granted? Was she the reason he distanced himself? Or was it because of the phone call earlier?

Even with his back turned, she could not tear her gaze from him. She could not ignore the stab in her heart, piercing right through, making her long for the days when he met her eyes without hesitation. Now, all she could do was wait... and wait some more... for him to look at her again.

In the minutes that followed, all Meilin could do was observe Kaili and Yuming's sweet interactions—the smiles they exchanged, the way they gazed at each other.

Today was supposed to be fun, yet every time Meilin heard their laughter, loneliness crept into her heart, biting into a longing ache. She was happy for them, of course, but she could not help but contemplate that it could have been her—laughing and even holding hands with someone special today.

'No! I'm not making the same mistake again,' Meilin reminded herself, recalling her oath to only like fictional men.

She turned her gaze to the quietest member of the group—and it was not Han, but Ningshun. Even from a distance, she noticed the length and fullness of his black eyelashes, accentuated by his angled eyebrows. From the side, his sharp nose had a faint, upturned tip.

'There's just no way a man as beautiful as him could be human... He must be an angel walking among us.'

She had seen the hungry looks of some girls passing by him, the looks of objectification, as if their eyes could strip him right then and there, and it made her stomach twist, as if his body was all he had to offer.

But did it bother him?

'I like bad girls,' Ningshun had said.

Recalling his words, Meilin rolled her eyes and whispered, "Never mind."

As the group meandered through the amusement park, Meilin strode alongside Yuming, joking and teasing her about her crush. Yuming could only blush. They quickened their pace, catching up to Kaili, who was joking with Hooman.

As they approached, Yuming sidled up to Kaili with a playful grin and teased, "Think you can handle the spinning teacups?"

Kaili chuckled, smiling as he glanced down at her. "Oh, I can handle it... and even more, if you know what I mean."

Hooman grinned. "If what you're saying is true, then let's go to the Underworld."

"What's the Underworld?" Meilin asked.

"It's known for being the scariest haunted mansion," Hooman replied, never taking his eyes off Kaili, whose grin faded in an instant.

"Sure! Let's go to the Underworld!" Yuming cheered.

Kaili and Meilin stared at the haunted mansion, an eerie feeling gripping their throats and leaving an emptiness in the pit of their stomachs.

"Do we have to... go there?" Meilin inquired with a faint smile, trying to hold herself together.

"Let's go!" Ningshun exclaimed, enthusiasm forming on his lips.

'NOW he's excited? Just for the chance to see UGLY creatures and be haunted by them? I never knew he had such bad taste in picking rides!' Meilin fumed. "I'm not coming. You guys go."

"Really? Then..." Yuming turned to Kaili. "Are you coming?"

Kaili pondered. If Meilin refused to go with them, that would mean there would be an odd number. 'Hooman would join Han, which means that Yuming would go with... Ah, hell no!' Determined, he gazed into Yuming's eyes. "Sure, why not." However, in the back of his mind, he already imagined the horrifying scenes he could stumble upon as his lips pressed into a thin line.

"So, Meilin's the only one staying behind?" Han asked. "The lines are long, though. It'll take at least thirty minutes to get to the ride."

"Wait!" Yuming, glancing at her smartwatch, turned to Meilin. "Why don't you just stand in line with us? You can walk away through the backdoor once we get there."

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Part 2 of this chapter coming soon!