Turbulence at the Flip Park (1)

Shanghai FanDou Paradise had two ticket gates.

One was the regular lane—a perpetually packed queue on holidays.
The other, a VIP entrance reserved for a privileged few.

“Honored VIP guest arriving!”

At the call of the attendant, a staff member in formal wear and white gloves swung open the VIP gate, bowing with a graceful “Please proceed.”

Under the scorching thirty-degree heat, tourists sweating and crammed in the regular line turned to stare—some envious, some resentful.

Bathed in those blunt gazes, You Xi shrank her neck slightly, slipping through the gate with quiet embarrassment.

“Oh yeah—this is from a friend. Take it.”

Two days earlier, on Thursday night after their meeting, You Dong had handed her two VIP tickets to FanDou Paradise.

“There are two… Won’t you come too, Uncle?”

“I’ve got things to do this weekend. Probably won’t be back until evening.”

“Oh. Okay.”

You Xi had planned to give one ticket to Mo Li—her way of thanking her for returning Bai Mian’s manuscript.

But ever since that noon—the day Mo Li burst into tears and fled from her—they hadn’t spoken a single word.

She’d sent a message: Got two tickets. Want to go Saturday?

It remained read, but unanswered.

Had she done something wrong? Why did Mo Li suddenly stop talking to her?

She’d spent nearly a week thinking about it—still no clue.

She wanted to ask in person. But every time they met, Mo Li would just huff, turn away, and walk off—giving her zero chance to speak.

Bai Mian missing. Uncle unavailable. Ticket unclaimed.

So today, You Xi came alone.

No games to play. No magical girl duties. She wasn’t really here to have fun—just killing time.

After entry, guests received a special badge. With it, they could skip all lines and ride any attraction.

You Xi breezed through popular rides—roller coasters, pirate ships, river rapids—within hours.

Soon, boredom set in. She wandered aimlessly across the park.

Couples. Friends. Families. Every passerby traveled in groups.

Only she walked alone.

The loneliness settled quietly in her chest.

Eventually, she drifted to the pedestrian plaza, bought water and snacks, and sat on a bench to rest.

10:50 AM – Zone Stage Area
Stage Show: [Magical Girl☆Grand Rally]
Performed by: 2nd Grade Students of Shanghai Fifth Ring Qian Elementary School

Magical girls again?

You Xi stared at the dot-matrix display, expression blank as she mechanically chewed her bread.

Might as well. Nothing better to do.

“Monster… die! Magic Gun—FIRE!”

On stage, a little girl in a pink costume raised her toy gun at a “monster.”

Though the tip never touched, the T-Rex-suited actor let out a dramatic cry. Yet he didn’t fall—instead, he charged forward and knocked the girl down.

“The monster laughs wickedly.”
“Magical Girl Violet Lightning… today is your end!”

Pfft.

You Xi nearly choked on her water.

Wait—was that kid playing Senior Violet Lightning?

Looking closer, yes—the color scheme, the weapon… it matched perfectly.

…Huh. Interesting.

Just moments ago, she’d been half-asleep from the childish performance. Now, she leaned forward, fully engaged.

“Violet Lightning, watch out!”

As the T-Rex prepared to deliver the final blow, a red-clad magical girl burst onto the stage, plastic sword raised high.

“Haaaah!”

She slashed—sending the dinosaur staggering backward with a theatrical groan.

“Senior! Are you okay?”

The red magical girl helped Violet Lightning up. Together, they faced the retreating monster.

“W-who are you?! How dare you ruin my plan!” the T-Rex growled.

The heroine flipped her head—twin pigtails swaying behind her. Sword resting on her shoulder, she declared proudly:

“I am the magical girl—Raging Flame!”

Meanwhile, at Guda Plaza, inside a women’s restroom, a group of high school girls chatted while touching up their makeup.

“Ugh… where’s my foundation?”

Mo Li dug through her bag—then froze.

Her fingers brushed against something cold, hard.

She pulled it out.

A dull, lifeless soul gem.

Without its glow, it looked like an ordinary trinket—no magic, no warmth.

Like its owner, drained of will and courage—empty, hollow, slowly rotting away.

“Mo Li, done yet?”

A friend’s voice snapped her back.

She quickly tucked the gem away, fixed her bangs, and stepped out.

The night You Xi quit being a magical girl, Mo Li went to the agency and found Lao Lin.

Lao Lin gave her the soul gem, hoping she might convince You Xi to return.

Mo Li didn’t believe it would work. But in her daze, she took it anyway.

At school, every time she met You Xi’s gaze, she wanted to shove the gem into her hands.

But lately, just seeing that dumb, blank face made a strange anger flare in her chest.

I don’t want to deal with her!

But that was just words.

She wasn’t truly angry.

If You Xi just reached out once, she’d smile instantly.

Yet that idiot acted like Mo Li was furious—keeping her distance, hesitant and awkward.

Several times, Mo Li almost broke.

But then—No.

I was the one who ran away crying that day. If I go talk to her now… doesn’t that mean I’m the one who cares more?

Absolutely not.

Blushing slightly, Mo Li kept walking with her friends.

They passed a furniture section—where all the demo TVs suddenly went black.

Seconds later, an emergency alert flashed across every screen.

【Shangjing FanDou Paradise under attack by multiple aberrations at approximately 11:00 AM. Special Operations Bureau has dispatched units for immediate neutralization. Citizens are urged to avoid the area.】

Wait—FanDou Paradise?

Mo Li pulled out her phone, checking the message You Xi had sent.

“No… it can’t be.”

There was a high chance You Xi was already inside.

Then—

A terrible image flashed in her mind.

“I—I have to go!”

Without explanation, she sprinted toward the exit, leaving her stunned friends behind.