A Bit… My Hand Hurts

“Is it good?”

Watching Yuan Yuan take a big sip of the grape juice, Ye Hao looked at the watermelon juice in his hand with slight disgust.

Why am I drinking what this guy left behind?! Damn!

“It’s okay.”

“Right, Haozi! Let’s keep playing!”

Ye Hao: ?

Wait! Why do I have a bad feeling about this! This guy’s up to something!?

“Wait! You’re not planning to go to the haunted house, are you?”

Grabbing Yuan Yuan’s wrist in time, Ye Hao began to sweat from his forehead.

This guy’s got such a small courage—why can’t he just pick something normal…

Wouldn’t riding the merry-go-round be so much better?

Even though Ye Hao wasn’t afraid of these things—
they were obviously fake—but still!

This guy Yuan Yuan would probably be scared stiff and unable to walk!

“That’s right! Next stop—haunted house!”

Standing tall, Yuan Yuan lifted his head proudly toward Ye Hao.

“Fine, fine, haunted house it is…”

Opening the amusement park map, Ye Hao led the overly excited Yuan Yuan toward the haunted house.

“Haozi, I’m telling you, if you get scared, I’ll allow you to hug me, how about that~”

Ye Hao: ……

“Don’t lose your soul from fright, I’ll be fine.”

What’s so scary about a haunted house?

It’s obviously just people in costumes with props—there’s nothing to be afraid of!

Unless it’s a real ghost—then maybe he’d flinch.

But this? Please… you know it’s fake! What’s there to be scared of?

“Hmph! Just don’t hold me back when the time comes, bleh~”

“Yeah, yeah.”

At the entrance, Yuan Yuan looked into the pitch-black tunnel and immediately took a step back.

Seeing this, Ye Hao regained his confidence—
Ha! You were mocking me before?

“Well, well~ what’s this? Our bold and mighty Yuan Yuan, scared already~?”

“Damn it! I—I’m not scared!”

Hmph! How dare you underestimate me! I’ll show you today!

But not long after, that “super brave aura” around Yuan Yuan quickly evaporated as the flickering lights around them started flashing.

“Haozi, where… where are you… it’s so dark…”

Ye Hao: ……

Tsk. Seriously? This?

And you chose to come into a haunted house?

Sir, it’s been less than a minute! This huge place takes at least half an hour to finish—seriously?

“I’m right behind you. No way… Yuan Yuan, you’re not scared already, right?”

“Scared? Hmph! Of course not!”

So stubborn.

Watching Yuan Yuan, Ye Hao covered his mouth to keep from laughing—he couldn’t laugh now.

If he laughed now, that guy would definitely bite him.

So yeah, Ye Hao knew better.

“Oh really?”

“Of course! I’m super brave!”

Alright, alright—Ye Hao didn’t even want to hear it anymore.

He’s scared out of his mind but still pretending like he’s not afraid of anything—who are you fooling?

They kept walking…

“Haozi… um, can I… can I hold onto you? It’s a bit dark here…”

Ye Hao: ……

A while later.

“Haozi, I… I…”

Ye Hao: ……

A little later still.

“Haozi, can we go out now? I’m scared, can we please leave?”

Ye Hao: ……

And then—

“Waaah! Haozi! I’m so scared! Waaah!”

Come on! It’s only been ten minutes!

You haven’t even seen half the props yet! Yuan Yuan, you’re hopeless!

“Unbelievable. You really are a fool.”

Turn back?

Impossible! They’d come this far—there’s no such thing as retreating now!

“Waaah… Haozi, I… my legs gave out… Haozi…”

Under the flickering lights, Ye Hao looked at Yuan Yuan’s tear-streaked face.

Good grief.

“I’ll carry you. Seriously.”

“Waaah! Haozi, you’re the best…”

Although carrying Yuan Yuan wasn’t really a problem…

But come on—
I’ve never carried a girl before, and now I’m carrying a guy!

Ye Hao!

Ugh! So frustrating!

After who knows how long, surrounded by creepy props, flashing lights, and Yuan Yuan’s ear-piercing screams—

Ye Hao felt like his eardrums were about to burst.

“Yuan Yuan! Can you quiet down a bit?! My ears are going deaf!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

In his panic, Yuan Yuan didn’t notice a hanging prop above them.

When Ye Hao took another step, a fake head dropped down right in front of Yuan Yuan’s face.

Yuan Yuan: ……

Sob… sob sob…

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Ye Hao’s ears were done for!

“Yuan Yuan! Stop covering my eyes! I can’t see where I’m going!”

“No! I can’t let go! I’m too scared! Haozi! Haozi!”

Because he couldn’t see and Yuan Yuan was thrashing, Ye Hao slammed right into a wall covered in props.

A cold draft swept by.

Feeling something behind him, Yuan Yuan slowly turned his head.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

He couldn’t take it anymore!

Ye Hao really couldn’t handle Yuan Yuan’s screams any longer—if this kept up, he’d go deaf before they got out.

He needed a solution, fast.

But how do you calm someone like this down?

In this state, words wouldn’t help.

And they were only a quarter of the way through—there was still a long road ahead.

If this continued, Ye Hao would collapse before Yuan Yuan did.

No, this wouldn’t do.

“Yuan Yuan, calm down!”

“I can’t! I can’t calm down, Haozi! I swear I’ll never come here again!”

Ye Hao: You’re really making us guys look bad.

Of course, he kept that to himself—say it out loud and Yuan Yuan would bite him.

What to do… maybe he had to use that move?

The old “soothe the child” technique?

Outdated, sure—but it worked!

Ye Hao gently set Yuan Yuan down.

The moment his feet touched the floor, Yuan Yuan’s teary eyes widened.

“Haozi! No! Don’t leave me! Waaah!”

He was terrified that Ye Hao was abandoning him.

No way! Don’t leave me here—it’s so dark, so scary!

“Haozi, don’t… don’t leave me…”

Summoning some hidden strength, Yuan Yuan lunged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Ye Hao’s waist.

Ye Hao: ……

What the hell?

Is this guy losing his mind?

Why would I abandon you here?

Even if I did, could you even walk out by yourself?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

He wanted to give Yuan Yuan a good smack, but then remembered—

Right, he was supposed to soothe him like a child.

Violence was not the move here.

“Stop, stop, calm down. I’m not leaving you.”

“But, but I…”

Kneeling down slightly, Ye Hao looked at Yuan Yuan’s tear-stained face and almost burst out laughing.

He’d expected something like this—so he quietly took a tissue from his pocket.

“Alright, stop crying. Any more and your face will melt.”
(Though honestly, it already had.)

“But… but I’m still scared. I thought… I thought it wouldn’t be this scary…”

As he spoke, Yuan Yuan started crying again.

Ye Hao’s head was about to split open.

You’re a guy! How can you cry this much? When I used to beat you up, you laughed!

“Listen, Yuan Yuan. It’s all fake—nothing to be afraid of.”

“But… I’m still scared…”

“It’s okay. Listen to me…”

After a long stretch of comforting, Ye Hao felt mentally drained.

Not physically—but emotionally, spiritually, mentally exhausted.

He’d said everything possible, but the guy was still acting like a fragile little girl!

He wasn’t as terrified anymore, sure—but still barely functional.

“Haozi, um… what if… what if there really is one…”

“What’s there to fear? I’m right here. I’ll protect you.”

Ruffling Yuan Yuan’s head through his hat, Ye Hao finally stood up.

Taking a few steps forward, he noticed Yuan Yuan still standing frozen in place.

He sighed.

“Come on.”

Yuan Yuan blinked, then reached out and grabbed Ye Hao’s hand tightly.

“Mm!”

After a whole day at the park, the two of them had finally ridden everything.

Now there was only one thing left…

As the sun set, they sat together on the Ferris wheel.

Ye Hao looked at Yuan Yuan’s round, pouty face.

This guy…

He’d probably been pale all day.

Of all things, why pick the scariest rides? Such a fool.

Small courage, big curiosity—what a mix.

“Haozi, do you think I’m useless?”

“Take out the ‘do you think,’ and yeah.”

No self-awareness at all!

“Ah~ maybe I should just die…”

He was already embarrassed on most days—but today, he’d truly outdone himself.

“Alright, you were pathetic at first, but you got better later.”

“Really?”

Looking doubtfully at Ye Hao, Yuan Yuan didn’t have much faith in that—
it had been so humiliating.

“Really. Though if you’d just let go of my right hand, that’d be even better.”

After holding it all day, Ye Hao felt like his hand didn’t belong to him anymore.

“No way. I don’t want to. I—I like holding it…”

Ye Hao quickly turned to look out the window.

The sunset outside was beautiful.

So high up… yet somehow, not scary at all.

Because—

Beside him, he could feel Yuan Yuan’s grip on his right hand tighten slightly.

Ye Hao: Hiss… it kind of… hurts a bit.