The last activity of the day at the amusement park was riding the Ferris wheel.

It was a place for light-hearted couples’ dates, neither thrilling nor physically demanding, making it a perfect way to end the day.

By this time, everyone was tired and quietly queued up.

Naturally, Xiao Gu and Chu Hejun were in one Ferris wheel. Before going up, Xiao Gu was chatting with Yu Nian, “If you have a girl you like, take her on the Ferris wheel. You know, it’s a sacred place for confession.”

Yu Nian truly had no idea.

He listened attentively, “Why?”

He vaguely recalled, “Ah, is it because the Ferris wheel is a place for two people alone, and reaching the highest point can get the blessing of the god of love? I think I read about it in a novel…”

But Xiao Gu shook her head solemnly.

“It’s because the Ferris wheel is in mid-air, and the person being confessed to has nowhere to escape. Even if it’s awkward as hell, they have to finish the second half of the ride with you.”

“…”

Yu Nian couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“That’s true.”

He shook his head, unable to understand this not-so-romantic answer.

But his gaze involuntarily drifted towards Qi Wang, who was at the back of the line.

On the Ferris wheel, Yu Nian relayed Xiao Gu’s joke to Qi Wang.

He said to Qi Wang, “According to her theory, besides the Ferris wheel, even a boat in the middle of a lake, a cable car on the mountain, or even a remote forest should all count as confession sites, since the other person can’t escape anyway.”

Qi Wang’s lips curved upwards.

He didn’t have much sense of humor, but he found this joke somewhat amusing.

Looking out the window, Qi Wang saw that the night had fallen outside the Ferris wheel.

He hadn’t been to an amusement park much in the past twenty years, and the few times he did were for part-time work.

He once worked at a bubble tea stand in the amusement park, sprinkling colorful marshmallows on ice cream and handing them to one child after another who stood on tiptoes.

This seemed to be his first time as a visitor riding on the Ferris wheel.

And the person he was spending this Ferris wheel ride with was the person closest to him in recent years.

Qi Wang tilted his head slightly and glanced at Yu Nian.

Yu Nian sat on the side near the window, his face close to the glass. The neon lights on the Ferris wheel blinked continuously, reflecting on his face, even making his eyelashes seem to glow.

He had been avoiding Yu Nian these past few days, but the reason was a bit different from what Yu Nian guessed.

He avoided Yu Nian because that day, in the well-lit room, while seemingly calm and steady, he had observed and sketched every detail of Yu Nian’s body.

But behind the easel, his Adam’s apple had moved slightly.

And deeper down, his usually calm heart had thudded heavily against his chest, causing him some discomfort.

That night, after Yu Nian left, he had a dream.

An indescribable dream.

Yu Nian was no longer lying across from him but nestled in his arms.

This dream weighed heavily on his mind, as if the calm of the past twenty years had collapsed overnight.

In the restaurant, he didn’t know how to face Yu Nian.

Just like now, sitting in this narrow Ferris wheel, he remained outwardly calm but internally felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

He had never wished to move faster before, to release himself from this cage filled with Yu Nian’s presence.

But deep down, a voice seemed to say.

Slower would be better.

Slow enough to be like a dream, never having to wake up.

As the Ferris wheel was about to reach its highest point, Yu Nian lowered his head and looked at his own toes.

His toes were almost touching Qi Wang’s shoes.

Qi Wang had bought these shoes with him. That day, when Qi Wang bought him clothes, he had also bought a pair of shoes.

Very cheap.

Size 170.

Even cheaper than the clothes he had bought for Yu Nian that day.

These were the simplest white sneakers in the third-floor shoe store, with nothing remarkable about them, seen everywhere on the streets. Like Qi Wang’s other clothes, they were all basic styles, but because Qi Wang had broad shoulders, long legs, and a handsome face, whatever he wore looked like it was made for a model.

Yu Nian couldn’t help but pull his coat tighter. He was wearing the black coat Qi Wang had bought for him that day, which was snug and warm.

He couldn’t help but look up at Qi Wang.

His gaze was so intense that Qi Wang had to look at him and ask, “What are you looking at?”

Yu Nian didn’t answer immediately.

He tapped his foot on the floor, then lowered his eyes and said to Qi Wang, “I was thinking about what Xiao Gu said. She’s not wrong. The Ferris wheel is indeed a suitable place for confession.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Qi Wang’s breath seemed to stall for a moment.

He looked at Yu Nian, who had his head down, his face hidden in the oversized collar, revealing only half of his face.

Yu Nian continued to stare at his own toes.

Then he continued, “Qi Wang, I haven’t told you, but I actually have a crush on someone.”

“He… is very kind to me, very handsome, has beautiful hands, and makes delicious coffee. He always looks fierce, but in reality, he is caring and thoughtful. Once, when I wanted to eat red bean cake in the middle of the night, he complained, but when he got off work late, he ran three blocks to buy it for me. He said I had a child’s temperament, but unconsciously took care of me. Whether I cause trouble or make mistakes, he never blames me.”

Yu Nian spoke, and as he did, he began to smile.

The laughter was light, dissipating like smoke in the cramped Ferris wheel.

He looked up at Qi Wang, his eyes clear as water.

He was too detailed, almost naming names.

Qi Wang felt goosebumps rising from being looked at so intently.

The gaze felt like a thousand pounds, yet also like the sun shining, forcing him to be exposed in the darkness.

In this small Ferris wheel, though it was nearing winter night, the air was chilly and desolate, he felt as though he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

He didn’t respond but turned his gaze to the window.

Yet Yu Nian didn’t let him off.

Yu Nian said, “You should have realized by now, the person I like is also a guy like me. I’m not afraid to say it, I’ve always liked men, but I’ve never met a guy who made my heart beat like he does. I want to confess to him but I’m afraid. … if I take him on the Ferris wheel and tell him I like him, will he accept me?”

Yu Nian’s last words were said very softly.

But they carried more weight than all the previous words.

Qi Wang had been watching the twilight outside, the lights twinkling. Upon hearing this, he couldn’t help but turn his head.

Their eyes met.

Inside the Ferris wheel, it was so quiet that even the sound of breathing was audible. No one looked away, but no one spoke either.

Yu Nian’s face bore a kind of calmness like burning bridges.

What counted as the right time to confess?

Renting out the entire amusement park, putting on a fireworks display just for Qi Wang, covering the ground with roses, with a crown in the middle.

He could do all these things.

But he believed Qi Wang didn’t need them.

If Qi Wang liked him, a simple “I like you” would suffice, and Qi Wang would respond.

And if Qi Wang didn’t like him, even if he bought the whole city, Qi Wang wouldn’t spare him a glance.

So he cast aside all his fears, hesitations, and doubts.

They were on the Ferris wheel, after all.

This was, once again, the legendary confession spot.

He should let Qi Wang know his feelings.

But Yu Nian didn’t get Qi Wang’s response.

He had made it so obvious, and Qi Wang’s eyes, when they met his, flashed with various emotions, mixed with shock, resignation, and complexity that was unreadable.

Qi Wang leaned back slightly, his back against the hard backrest.

As the Ferris wheel swayed and descended, there were only a short two minutes left before it reached the bottom.

The laughter and chatter of the tourists drifted in sporadically.

The surrounding lights became brighter, shining through the window onto Qi Wang’s face, blurring his expression, veiling the emotions in his eyes.

At the moment the Ferris wheel stopped.

Yu Nian heard Qi Wang say, “I don’t know who you like exactly. But things without a conclusion are better off not mentioned from the start. It’s better for everyone.”

As he finished speaking, the door of the Ferris wheel opened.

Though it was just a thin layer of tin, as soon as the door opened, the cold air, lights, and noise from outside rushed in, making the interior feel crowded.

Qi Wang got off promptly.

But Yu Nian remained seated, not moving until urged loudly by the staff, then he moved like a robot with malfunctioning parts.

When he got off, he didn’t notice the steps at his feet and stumbled.

His hand brushed against the railing nearby, scraping his skin, which hurt.

But he seemed not to feel it, just patting his arm and hurriedly following Qi Wang’s back.

After riding the Ferris wheel, everyone returned to rest.

On the way back to the inn, Yu Nian remained silent. Xiao Gu and Chu Hejun, the couple who had broken the ice, were holding hands discreetly.

Chef Shao Wanli was discussing the pros and cons of home use vacuum cleaners with someone nearby, while Song Yunchun was on the phone.

There were also two employees discussing finding a place later to have a beer.

Everyone was busy with their own affairs, lively and bustling.

No one noticed the two people walking at the back, walking slower and slower until they fell behind.

Qi Wang noticed halfway through that Yu Nian’s wrist was bleeding.

Not much blood was flowing.

It was just a scrape on the surface, almost stopped bleeding already.

But Qi Wang still frowned.

He stopped, asking Yu Nian, “What happened to your hand?”

Yu Nian had been walking with his head down, startled by the question, he followed Qi Wang’s gaze and saw his own arm.

“Ah…” He raised his wrist, looking at the bloodstains on it incredulously, looking a bit confused, “I might have just been scratched by the handrail back at the ferris wheel.”

He said it flatly, contrary to his usual delicacy, not caring at all, and continued walking as usual.

But Qi Wang grabbed his arm, pressed him onto a bench on the side of the road.

“You sit here,” Qi Wang looked around, spotting a pharmacy, “I’ll go buy some iodine for you.”

Yu Nian wanted to say forget it, but Qi Wang didn’t listen, already running off.

He could only sit bored on the bench, looking up at the street lamp. A moth kept hitting the light bulb. It was almost early winter, yet there were still moths in this town.

Just a few minutes later, Qi Wang came back with a paper bag from the pharmacy.

He squatted in front of Yu Nian, taking out tweezers from it, picking up a cotton ball soaked in iodine, carefully wiping the scraped area on Yu Nian’s arm.

Under the street lamp, his expression was serious and focused, as if he were doing something extraordinary.

Yu Nian couldn’t help but want to laugh.

He thought, what’s this all about?

You just rejected me, why are you being so nice to me now?

Are you some kind of saint, rescuing poor little animals by the roadside and bringing them home even if you don’t really like them?

Even if I make you angry and bite your beloved furniture, would you still continue to take care of me out of responsibility?

As he thought about it, tears began to roll down his cheeks.

A stinging sensation emanated from his arm.

The scraped skin, a not-too-big-not-too-small wound, which had almost stopped bleeding, now stung sharply when stimulated by the iodine, the pain suddenly sweeping over him.

It hurt so much.

It felt like not just a scraped piece of skin, but like a piece of flesh being torn away from somewhere.

Yu Nian couldn’t help but cry out in pain, like a child who had been wronged, crying uncontrollably.

Qi Wang’s hand froze.

He slowly lifted his head, meeting a face covered in tears.

Crying so pitifully, as if being bullied.

Yu Nian had tried to hold back.

He didn’t want to cry.

Because crying after being rejected in a confession would be too embarrassing, but he couldn’t help it.

He grabbed Qi Wang’s sleeve, crying with swollen eyes, lips bearing teeth marks from his own biting, eyelashes sticking together, looking particularly disheveled.

He said to Qi Wang, “You don’t want me to confess, do you? You want to save face for both of us, you want the ending to not be too ugly, you don’t want to reject me yourself. So you insist on saying you don’t know who I like.”

He looked up at Qi Wang.

Normally, even the most beautiful person, when crying like this, would look a bit unsightly.

But he didn’t care.

He remembered how many times he had tossed coins at Zhang Yunyao’s house.

At that time, he thought fate didn’t want him to confess to Qi Wang, but he still didn’t follow.

It was the same now.

“But I insist,” he stared into Qi Wang’s eyes, pitiful and stubborn, he said, “Qi Wang, I like you. I like you.”

He said it twice.

A tear fell on Qi Wang’s back hand, scorching hot.

Like a spark, seemingly insignificant, yet igniting the entire prairie.