The white exit button on the light screen flickered slightly, but the person who pressed the button did not show any change, still sitting in the same place.
The restaurant was booming with business, and the sound of people chatting and laughing could be heard everywhere.
Only the table where Zhou Zhou sat seemed enveloped in silence. Zhou Zhou’s face showed no expression, and the corners of his mouth, which were usually slightly raised when he was with Ke Li and his sister, were now pursed into a straight line.
He clicked the exit key a few more times, but there was no response.
He did not disappear like Ke Li and the others.
Zhou Zhou knew what home was, home was a place that belonged to him, a place where his family lived.
Sitting there thinking, the noisy sounds of chatting and laughter around him seemed to be separated by a transparent thin membrane, sounding like the language of another world.
He blinked his eyes slowly, looking a little dazed. When he was alone, his movements and thoughts would become slower.
That’s right, he had no home.
He had nothing.
After reaching this conclusion, Zhou Zhou was not too sad, after all, sadness was just a word for him, and he could not yet understand and experience this emotion.
His fingers unconsciously picked at the corners of his clothes. Zhou Zhou sat for a long time before getting up and leaving.
Outside the restaurant, he stood by the roadside watching the green trees swaying back and forth. This time, without the two people stopping him, he watched for over an hour before taking steps toward somewhere else.
The beginner village of Nightmare City was bustling with people coming and going. This city was very vast, after all, in the virtual world, space could extend infinitely.
There were people everywhere who had made appointments with friends to play together, or players rushing around to prepare for dungeons.
Zhou Zhou strolled slowly on the street. Whenever he saw something strange and unusual, he would stop and take a look, studying it very carefully and attentively, as if he was researching some century-old puzzle.
It wasn’t until he saw a poster that his gaze changed.
It was an animated poster, advertising the largest amusement park in Nightmare City, with a Ferris wheel taking up the most space in the middle.
The upward angle made the Ferris wheel look enormous, with a gradual pink background, and various entertainment facilities dotting the area around the Ferris wheel as decoration, giving the whole image a very romantic feel.
A minute later, the rotating Ferris wheel’s background changed to a deep blue starry sky, and the Ferris wheel itself shimmered with a silvery-white glow.
Zhou Zhou’s eyes reflected a streak of silvery radiance. This was the first time he had seen a real Ferris wheel.
He had told many people that he wanted to ride the Ferris wheel together, but he had never seen a Ferris wheel before, nor did he know why he had said that to everyone.
The Ferris wheel and background of different colors kept changing on the poster. Zhou Zhou looked up at it for a long time, and it wasn’t until the image of the Ferris wheel changed to other scenery that he lowered his gaze to look at the address noted below.
To get to a certain place here, various means of transportation were very convenient, of course, each one required points.
After asking people on the street, many recommended taking the bus, as it was the cheapest option.
So Zhou Zhou followed the advice of the passersby and took the bus. Since many of the settings in Nightmare City were based on the culture from thousands of years ago, the appearance of the bus was similar to that of thousands of years ago.
There were not many people on the bus, and they were all standing near the exits, with no one sitting in the seats. Zhou Zhou sat in the middle by the window. After the vehicle started moving, the surrounding scenery rapidly retreated, and only streaks of different colored lights could be seen flashing by.
He had not even settled in his seat when they arrived at the entrance of the amusement park.
The amusement park covered a vast area, almost as large as a major city in the real world.
Zhou Zhou bought a ticket and took the sightseeing bus to the entrance of the Ferris wheel.
Many couples were lining up to ride the Ferris wheel.
In the real world, amusement parks on different planets would have different entertainment facilities, with each planet having its own distinct features.
The Ferris wheel, a ride that had only existed for a few thousand years, was not of much interest to people in the interstellar age, who preferred to simply take their own spacecraft for a spin in the sky instead of going around in circles slowly.
So the Ferris wheel was marketed with its symbolic meaning from thousands of years ago, becoming a ride exclusively for couples.
This marketing tactic was quite effective, attracting many couples who were drawn by the reputation, which made Zhou Zhou, who was queuing alone, stand out.
Qian Le stood at the front with a bright smile, handing out tickets to the couples and saying a blessing to each of them. But in his heart, he silently complained about this damned amusement park. What era was this, that they still had to sell tickets manually? And he had to say a blessing to every couple.
He was single! Every day, he was force-fed tons and tons of dog food, did they know the great damage it did to his fragile soul?
If it weren’t for the generous points, he would have quit long ago.
No matter what he thought in his heart, his smile never changed. He smiled and handed out two exquisite tickets to the couple in front of him. After this couple boarded the Ferris wheel, a young boy stood before him.
Qian Le habitually opened his mouth to say a blessing, but realized there was only one person standing in front of him. He tilted his head and looked behind Zhou Zhou, where there were all couples.
“Your… other half hasn’t arrived yet?”
Zhou Zhou shook his head: “I’m alone.”
Qian Le was surprised: “Alone? How can you… Oh, you can ride alone too.”
Every day he saw couples, he almost forgot that there was actually no rule that only couples could ride the Ferris wheel.
“Alright, here’s your ticket.” He tore one half off the two tickets that were originally attached together and handed it to the other person. After that, Qian Le looked at Zhou Zhou’s exquisite features and outstanding demeanor, and asked curiously, “Why did you think of riding this alone?”
“I promised many girls before that I would come ride the Ferris wheel together, but now I’m the only one left.” He had promised so many girls to come ride the Ferris wheel together, but now he didn’t know where they had all gone. They probably went home, right?
The hand holding the ticket paused for a moment. Qian Le watched as the other person calmly said these words. Sheesh~ He couldn’t stand things like this.
Every day he was annoyed by lovey-dovey couples, and now there was someone with a broken heart.
This innocent-looking young man was suffering from a broken heart. He had made an appointment with his lover to ride the Ferris wheel together, promising to be together forever. But in the end, he was cruelly betrayed by his lover. His pleas were in vain, and he could only cry in secret. Thinking of their past promise, he begged his lover to fulfill their promise and ride the Ferris wheel with him, but after waiting all day, he was still the only one there.
“You, you can ride two rounds, while others can only ride one round.”
Zhou Zhou didn’t understand why the other person’s eyes suddenly turned red and teary, and he just said “thank you” in bewilderment.
The way he expressed his gratitude was very obedient. Qian Le’s tears almost fell: “Don’t be too sad, the next person who accompanies you on the Ferris wheel will definitely be your true soulmate, and they will treat you very well.”
Sad? Why should he be sad?
Zhou Zhou blinked his eyes, feeling that the other person seemed more sad.
After taking the ticket and walking a few steps forward, Zhou Zhou sat on the Ferris wheel and turned to Qian Le, saying, “I’m not sad, and you don’t need to be sad either.”
It was just this comforting remark that made Qian Le’s tears, which he had been holding back in his eyes, flow down: “Wait a moment.”
He took out a light yellow teddy bear from the cabinet below and ran a few steps to hand it to Zhou Zhou: “This is for you, so you’re not alone anymore.”
The size of the teddy bear was just right to hug. Zhou Zhou looked at him in surprise, then looked at the bear in his arms, and finally showed a smile on his face: “Thank you, I like it very much.”
The Ferris wheel slowly ascended, leaving a ticket seller standing below, crying from his own imagination of tragedy.
“Wuwuwu, bless you, wuwuwu bless you, don’t ever break up aahh~” Qian Le was very professional, even though he was crying loudly, he didn’t forget to give his blessings.
Couple: ……
Unaware that Qian Le had cried like a sprinkler below, Zhou Zhou hugged the yellow little bear and leaned against the window, looking out.
As far as his eyes could see, it was all within the amusement park. As the height gradually increased, the people below became smaller and smaller, looking like tiny ants swarming around busily.
So this was the Ferris wheel?
It was very quiet around, but this kind of quietness was not like the emptiness Zhou Zhou felt when he was alone at school. Instead, it made his whole body calm down.
When it reached the highest point, a firework suddenly lit up in the sky. Its brilliant radiance was eye-catching even during the day.
Zhou Zhou’s entire view was occupied by the suddenly appearing firework. It was the first time he had seen such a sight, and it touched his heart.
After the firework disappeared, he lowered his head, stroked the little bear’s head, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, his smile faint but genuine.
Although he had nothing, no home or family, if he had stayed at the school, he would never have been able to see such a sight.
Although this place was unfamiliar, he could build his own home here, make many friends, and even have many romantic relationships.
It was the first time Zhou Zhou had thought about so many things. By the time he had finished thinking, the Ferris wheel had already made two rounds and returned to the bottom, and it was time to get off.
“I just set off that firework for you, wuwuwu, did you see it?” Qian Le asked while crying.
“Thank you, I saw it.” So the firework was for him. Zhou Zhou looked at the miserably crying person and asked, “Can I have your contact information?”
“Huh? Why?” Qian Le didn’t understand at first.
“Thank you for the little bear and the firework, thank you for what you’ve done for me. I want to be friends with you, is that okay?” Zhou Zhou’s eyes smiled warmly, and his outstanding features looked exceptionally gentle under the silvery-white glow of the nearby Ferris wheel.
As if bewitched, Qian Le’s heart raced rapidly for a few beats. Forgetting that he was still crying, he looked at Zhou Zhou in a daze: “Of… of course.”
As they were exchanging contact information, two people stood in an inconspicuous place far away. Both of them had spiritual power at level A, able to see clearly anything at a distance.
They casually glanced at the distant Zhou Zhou, then withdrew their gaze and spoke as if in conversation: “Is that him?”
The white exit button on the light screen flickered slightly, but the person who pressed the button did not show any change, still sitting in the same place.
The restaurant was booming with business, and the sound of people chatting and laughing could be heard everywhere.
Only the table where Zhou Zhou sat seemed enveloped in silence. Zhou Zhou’s face showed no expression, and the corners of his mouth, which were usually slightly raised when he was with Ke Li and his sister, were now pursed into a straight line.
He clicked the exit key a few more times, but there was no response.
He did not disappear like Ke Li and the others.
Zhou Zhou knew what home was, home was a place that belonged to him, a place where his family lived.
Sitting there thinking, the noisy sounds of chatting and laughter around him seemed to be separated by a transparent thin membrane, sounding like the language of another world.
He blinked his eyes slowly, looking a little dazed. When he was alone, his movements and thoughts would become slower.
That’s right, he had no home.
He had nothing.
After reaching this conclusion, Zhou Zhou was not too sad, after all, sadness was just a word for him, and he could not yet understand and experience this emotion.
His fingers unconsciously picked at the corners of his clothes. Zhou Zhou sat for a long time before getting up and leaving.
Outside the restaurant, he stood by the roadside watching the green trees swaying back and forth. This time, without the two people stopping him, he watched for over an hour before taking steps toward somewhere else.
The beginner village of Nightmare City was bustling with people coming and going. This city was very vast, after all, in the virtual world, space could extend infinitely.
There were people everywhere who had made appointments with friends to play together, or players rushing around to prepare for dungeons.
Zhou Zhou strolled slowly on the street. Whenever he saw something strange and unusual, he would stop and take a look, studying it very carefully and attentively, as if he was researching some century-old puzzle.
It wasn’t until he saw a poster that his gaze changed.
It was an animated poster, advertising the largest amusement park in Nightmare City, with a Ferris wheel taking up the most space in the middle.
The upward angle made the Ferris wheel look enormous, with a gradual pink background, and various entertainment facilities dotting the area around the Ferris wheel as decoration, giving the whole image a very romantic feel.
A minute later, the rotating Ferris wheel’s background changed to a deep blue starry sky, and the Ferris wheel itself shimmered with a silvery-white glow.
Zhou Zhou’s eyes reflected a streak of silvery radiance. This was the first time he had seen a real Ferris wheel.
He had told many people that he wanted to ride the Ferris wheel together, but he had never seen a Ferris wheel before, nor did he know why he had said that to everyone.
The Ferris wheel and background of different colors kept changing on the poster. Zhou Zhou looked up at it for a long time, and it wasn’t until the image of the Ferris wheel changed to other scenery that he lowered his gaze to look at the address noted below.
To get to a certain place here, various means of transportation were very convenient, of course, each one required points.
After asking people on the street, many recommended taking the bus, as it was the cheapest option.
So Zhou Zhou followed the advice of the passersby and took the bus. Since many of the settings in Nightmare City were based on the culture from thousands of years ago, the appearance of the bus was similar to that of thousands of years ago.
There were not many people on the bus, and they were all standing near the exits, with no one sitting in the seats. Zhou Zhou sat in the middle by the window. After the vehicle started moving, the surrounding scenery rapidly retreated, and only streaks of different colored lights could be seen flashing by.
He had not even settled in his seat when they arrived at the entrance of the amusement park.
The amusement park covered a vast area, almost as large as a major city in the real world.
Zhou Zhou bought a ticket and took the sightseeing bus to the entrance of the Ferris wheel.
Many couples were lining up to ride the Ferris wheel.
In the real world, amusement parks on different planets would have different entertainment facilities, with each planet having its own distinct features.
The Ferris wheel, a ride that had only existed for a few thousand years, was not of much interest to people in the interstellar age, who preferred to simply take their own spacecraft for a spin in the sky instead of going around in circles slowly.
So the Ferris wheel was marketed with its symbolic meaning from thousands of years ago, becoming a ride exclusively for couples.
This marketing tactic was quite effective, attracting many couples who were drawn by the reputation, which made Zhou Zhou, who was queuing alone, stand out.
Qian Le stood at the front with a bright smile, handing out tickets to the couples and saying a blessing to each of them. But in his heart, he silently complained about this damned amusement park. What era was this, that they still had to sell tickets manually? And he had to say a blessing to every couple.
He was single! Every day, he was force-fed tons and tons of dog food, did they know the great damage it did to his fragile soul?
If it weren’t for the generous points, he would have quit long ago.
No matter what he thought in his heart, his smile never changed. He smiled and handed out two exquisite tickets to the couple in front of him. After this couple boarded the Ferris wheel, a young boy stood before him.
Qian Le habitually opened his mouth to say a blessing, but realized there was only one person standing in front of him. He tilted his head and looked behind Zhou Zhou, where there were all couples.
“Your… other half hasn’t arrived yet?”
Zhou Zhou shook his head: “I’m alone.”
Qian Le was surprised: “Alone? How can you… Oh, you can ride alone too.”
Every day he saw couples, he almost forgot that there was actually no rule that only couples could ride the Ferris wheel.
“Alright, here’s your ticket.” He tore one half off the two tickets that were originally attached together and handed it to the other person. After that, Qian Le looked at Zhou Zhou’s exquisite features and outstanding demeanor, and asked curiously, “Why did you think of riding this alone?”
“I promised many girls before that I would come ride the Ferris wheel together, but now I’m the only one left.” He had promised so many girls to come ride the Ferris wheel together, but now he didn’t know where they had all gone. They probably went home, right?
The hand holding the ticket paused for a moment. Qian Le watched as the other person calmly said these words. Sheesh~ He couldn’t stand things like this.
Every day he was annoyed by lovey-dovey couples, and now there was someone with a broken heart.
This innocent-looking young man was suffering from a broken heart. He had made an appointment with his lover to ride the Ferris wheel together, promising to be together forever. But in the end, he was cruelly betrayed by his lover. His pleas were in vain, and he could only cry in secret. Thinking of their past promise, he begged his lover to fulfill their promise and ride the Ferris wheel with him, but after waiting all day, he was still the only one there.
“You, you can ride two rounds, while others can only ride one round.”
Zhou Zhou didn’t understand why the other person’s eyes suddenly turned red and teary, and he just said “thank you” in bewilderment.
The way he expressed his gratitude was very obedient. Qian Le’s tears almost fell: “Don’t be too sad, the next person who accompanies you on the Ferris wheel will definitely be your true soulmate, and they will treat you very well.”
Sad? Why should he be sad?
Zhou Zhou blinked his eyes, feeling that the other person seemed more sad.
After taking the ticket and walking a few steps forward, Zhou Zhou sat on the Ferris wheel and turned to Qian Le, saying, “I’m not sad, and you don’t need to be sad either.”
It was just this comforting remark that made Qian Le’s tears, which he had been holding back in his eyes, flow down: “Wait a moment.”
He took out a light yellow teddy bear from the cabinet below and ran a few steps to hand it to Zhou Zhou: “This is for you, so you’re not alone anymore.”
The size of the teddy bear was just right to hug. Zhou Zhou looked at him in surprise, then looked at the bear in his arms, and finally showed a smile on his face: “Thank you, I like it very much.”
The Ferris wheel slowly ascended, leaving a ticket seller standing below, crying from his own imagination of tragedy.
“Wuwuwu, bless you, wuwuwu bless you, don’t ever break up aahh~” Qian Le was very professional, even though he was crying loudly, he didn’t forget to give his blessings.
Couple: ……
Unaware that Qian Le had cried like a sprinkler below, Zhou Zhou hugged the yellow little bear and leaned against the window, looking out.
As far as his eyes could see, it was all within the amusement park. As the height gradually increased, the people below became smaller and smaller, looking like tiny ants swarming around busily.
So this was the Ferris wheel?
It was very quiet around, but this kind of quietness was not like the emptiness Zhou Zhou felt when he was alone at school. Instead, it made his whole body calm down.
When it reached the highest point, a firework suddenly lit up in the sky. Its brilliant radiance was eye-catching even during the day.
Zhou Zhou’s entire view was occupied by the suddenly appearing firework. It was the first time he had seen such a sight, and it touched his heart.
After the firework disappeared, he lowered his head, stroked the little bear’s head, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, his smile faint but genuine.
Although he had nothing, no home or family, if he had stayed at the school, he would never have been able to see such a sight.
Although this place was unfamiliar, he could build his own home here, make many friends, and even have many romantic relationships.
It was the first time Zhou Zhou had thought about so many things. By the time he had finished thinking, the Ferris wheel had already made two rounds and returned to the bottom, and it was time to get off.
“I just set off that firework for you, wuwuwu, did you see it?” Qian Le asked while crying.
“Thank you, I saw it.” So the firework was for him. Zhou Zhou looked at the miserably crying person and asked, “Can I have your contact information?”
“Huh? Why?” Qian Le didn’t understand at first.
“Thank you for the little bear and the firework, thank you for what you’ve done for me. I want to be friends with you, is that okay?” Zhou Zhou’s eyes smiled warmly, and his outstanding features looked exceptionally gentle under the silvery-white glow of the nearby Ferris wheel.
As if bewitched, Qian Le’s heart raced rapidly for a few beats. Forgetting that he was still crying, he looked at Zhou Zhou in a daze: “Of… of course.”
As they were exchanging contact information, two people stood in an inconspicuous place far away. Both of them had spiritual power at level A, able to see clearly anything at a distance.
They casually glanced at the distant Zhou Zhou, then withdrew their gaze and spoke as if in conversation: “Is that him?”
