Chapter 292: Shi Lan is Angry
Shi Lan nodded. On second thought, she realized that even if there were real danger, she had ways to protect them both.
She’d gotten used to having Mu Tangfeng around, so she’d nearly forgotten her own plant-manipulation talent. Even if they fell from high up, vines could save them. Besides, the amusement park had plenty of aerial rescue guards. In any case, it was dozens of times safer than the modern era.
She relaxed considerably at the thought.
Their hands were still clasped tightly as the roller coaster’s speed steadily increased. It came to an abrupt halt at the highest point of the vertical climb. The car teetered precariously at the apex, and Shi Lan could clearly hear the CREAK of the grinding wheels.
This was the most thrilling part; she had no idea when the coaster would suddenly plummet.
Her face paled slightly, an involuntary reaction. A primal fear made her vision swim, and she didn’t dare look down, only tightening her grip on Yan Huoshui’s hand.
Just then, Yan Huoshui suddenly said, "Lanlan, I think there’s something wrong with my safety belt..."
"What?"
Shi Lan’s face went white with horror. She looked at him, tense and worried, squeezing his hand tighter as she stretched her other arm across his chest to shield him. "This is bad. We have to call the staff and get them to stop the ride."
Her face was a mask of anxiety, but the roar of the machinery was too loud, drowning out their voices. The staff couldn’t possibly hear them.
Yan Huoshui smiled. "Don’t worry. I’ll hold on tight. I won’t let myself fall."
Shi Lan was on the verge of panicking. Just then, the teetering roller coaster finally plunged downward. The arm she had across his chest pressed harder, and her eyes were glued to him, terrified that he would fall at any second.
The ride continued for another few minutes, but Shi Lan was so consumed with protecting Yan Huoshui and worrying about him that she didn’t notice any of the thrills—not the twists, the turns, or the feeling of her body lifting during the moments of weightlessness.
After they got off, she supported Yan Huoshui, still shaken from the ordeal. She immediately asked a staff member to check the safety belt on his seat to prevent anyone else from getting hurt.
But after checking it repeatedly, the staff member confirmed that there was nothing wrong with it.
And then, Shi Lan understood. Yan Huoshui had lied to her.
Her expression darkened. She remembered the smile on his face when he’d told her about the safety belt, and anger flared in her eyes. "What was that all about? Do you think it’s fun to lie to me? Did you enjoy seeing me so worried about you?"
Yan Huoshui’s pupils trembled. He could clearly sense Shi Lan’s anger. This was different from anything he’d seen back on Black Star. Even when Mu Tangfeng and the others used to tease her, she had never been this furious.
A flicker of panic went through him, and he instinctively tried to explain. "Lanlan, I just thought that if you were worried about me, you wouldn’t be afraid of the roller coaster anymore."
Shi Lan turned her head away, her expression still a mixture of frustration and rage. "My fear is one thing, but it’s not an excuse for you to joke about your own life."
Yan Huoshui shook his head. "No, Lanlan. I wouldn’t joke with my life. I still have to be your Beast Husband forever. I won’t let myself die so easily."
’That was why, at first, he had considered actually unbuckling his safety belt, but then he’d hesitated, lowered his hand, and made up an excuse instead.’
’He was afraid of dying now. He didn’t dare risk that kind of accident.’
But despite his words, Shi Lan was still furious. She turned and walked away, leaving him behind.
Yan Huoshui stood frozen for a moment. When she didn’t look back, a dark, sinister glint flashed in his eyes.
The staff member who had witnessed the young couple’s argument was trying to make themself as small as possible, cowering in a corner like a quail and enjoying the drama from a safe distance.
Yan Huoshui’s gaze swept in the employee’s direction, cold and vicious, but he quickly looked away and ran after Shi Lan.
He caught up to her as she was passing the carousel and seized her hand. "Lanlan, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you."
Shi Lan faltered. She turned to face him, her voice hoarse. "No, it’s not just about the lie. You can’t joke about things like that. If what you said had been true, there’s a real chance of a fatal accident on a ride like this. And yet... you were smiling."
’He was a madman!’
She realized it with chilling clarity once again: Yan Huoshui was an out-and-out madman.
’She even suspected that his original plan had been to actually unbuckle his safety belt.’
Shi Lan didn’t dare to contemplate the consequences of that.
To be honest, Yan Huoshui hadn’t really thought it was a big deal, since he hadn’t actually done anything. He regretted deceiving Shi Lan, but he didn’t regret joking with his life—it was likely an old habit that was hard to break.
It wasn’t until he looked down and saw her reddened eyes, brimming with tears of anger, heartache, and residual fear, that his body went rigid. A true panic began to set in his heart.
"I... I’m sorry, Lanlan. Please don’t cry. It’s all my fault. I’ll never do it again."
"Please stop crying, okay? You can hit me, yell at me... whatever you need to do to let off steam."
He held her hand, uncharacteristically guilt-ridden and cautious, and for the first time, he seriously reflected on his actions.
Shi Lan wanted to rip her hand away, but she worried that reacting harshly to him in this state might backfire.
’After all,’ she thought, ’I know his personality is tied to his past experiences as an interstellar pirate.’
When Shi Lan had read the book, she’d had no memory of a character named Yan Huoshui. However, she knew the book described many interstellar pirates as orphans or disabled males who had been utterly abandoned.
They had experienced countless injustices, suffered from discrimination and neglect, and were forced down that path. They had long ago stopped treating life as something precious.
She didn’t know which category Yan Huoshui fell into, but she knew he must have endured immense hardship in his past.
Lost in her thoughts, Shi Lan fell silent as tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.
When she didn’t respond, Yan Huoshui’s panic grew. Fearing she would turn and leave again without a backward glance, he couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into a tight embrace. His voice was husky. "Lanlan, I really know I was wrong. Please don’t be angry, okay?"
"I lied to you. You can hit me, just please don’t ignore me."
’If she did, he was afraid he would do something even more unforgivable.’
’He couldn’t accept losing her, not unless he was dead.’
In his arms, Shi Lan could feel his scorching body heat and the frantic, panicked thumping of his heart. She bit her lip and swallowed her tears. "I’m not going to hit you."
"But I want you to remember the promise you made when you proposed. You said it yourself: your life is mine. You can’t joke about it without my permission."
"Otherwise..."
"Okay, I understand! I’ll never do it again!"
Yan Huoshui cut her off, desperate to stop her from saying the words he feared were coming.
’He would keep his promise. He wouldn’t give her a reason to...’
’Especially not a divorce. That would only happen over his dead body.’
He held her for a long time. Only when he felt the tension finally leave her body did he venture, "So... Lanlan, do you forgive me?"
"Forgive you?"
Shi Lan scoffed. Yan Huoshui’s expression froze for a second, but then he heard her continue, "Only if you buy me three ice creams. And you have to watch me eat them all. That’s your punishment for your stupid joke."
His whole body suddenly went slack with relief. Looking at the ice cream cart not far away, he let out a quiet sigh. "Okay."
’Silly Lanlan,’ he thought. ’That’s not a punishment at all.’