Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 64 Buying Tickets
"Hey, Ai Liang, you've already received your acceptance letter? How early did you arrive?"

Yang Xingyue asked in surprise.

"Same as usual."

Ai Liang sat down on the edge of the sofa, about 20 centimeters away from Yang Xingyue.

"It's the holidays, aren't you going to sleep in?"

Fang Xiaoxiao yawned, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept well last night.

"got used to."

What can be done about insomnia caused by mental or emotional issues?

Ai Liang felt helpless. His body was now perfectly capable of working without sleep, but while he had more time to do what he wanted, he also lost the comfort of taking a nap.

Now I have to use my powers to force myself to fall asleep every time before bed.

This is what they mean by "you can't have your cake and eat it too."

Ma Yu reached out and patted the backpack next to him: "By the way, Xiao Ai, why are you carrying such a big travel bag? It'll be very inconvenient when we go to the amusement park later."

"I'm planning a trip, and I've packed a few clothes in my backpack."

Ai Liang took a sip of the free iced water: "I booked a ticket for 6 p.m., and I'll go straight to the station after we part ways."

"Travel? Where to travel?" Yang Xingyue asked curiously.

"Qianhua City".

Ai Liang replied.

"With so many clothes, this trip must be quite long," Yue Qihua remarked, looking at the bulging travel bag.

"Yeah, it's quite long." Ai Liang thought for a moment and then told half the truth.

"Chika City?"

Yang Xingyue seemed thoughtful after hearing this. "How about Dad takes me and Huahua to Qianhua City? I've heard the scenery there is beautiful."
Fang Xiaoxiao patted the table and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore, let's hurry up and go to the amusement park! There will be a lot of people during the summer vacation!"

Faced with Fang Xiaoxiao's arm-shaking and coquettish tactics, Ma Yu smiled wryly and patted her head: "This girl was so excited last night that she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in bed, keeping me awake too! What kind of looks are those!"

Before he could finish speaking, three death stares came from the other side.

"My aunt and uncle are away on a business trip, so they left her with us for a while! What are you thinking!"

Ma Yu loudly proclaimed his innocence: "She only came to my room because the air conditioner in the guest room was broken!"

Yue Qihua looked at Ma Yu with the same disdainful expression she'd given him: "Alright, we didn't mean anything by it, but there are some things we shouldn't say in public anymore, or we're really afraid you'll suddenly be taken away by the police one day."

Ma Yu exclaimed excitedly, "You guys are the ones who misunderstood!"

Ma Yu turned his gaze to Yang Xingyue.

"What do you think, Xingyue?"

Yang Xingyue subconsciously leaned back, then waved her hand dismissively.

"Xiao Ai?"

Ai Liang looked away and remained silent.

"Hehe, let's go!"

Fang Xiaoxiao smiled and pulled the dejected Ma Yu toward the bus stop.

It was mid-June, and all schools were already on holiday.

It's only a little past eight o'clock, and there's already a long queue at the amusement park entrance.

Couples, classmates, parents and children—all sorts of people crowded at the entrance of the amusement park.

After queuing for nearly twenty minutes, the five of them finally arrived at the ticket counter, only then did they notice the notice board standing next to them.

Couples get half-price tickets!
Proof method: A kiss between lovers.

Ai Liang ignored this and continued reading. After the large "half price" sign, there were two lines of smaller print that appeared to have been pasted on by the ticket seller:
P.S.: This is for heterosexual couples under 30 years old only. (P.S.2: No kissing anywhere except the cheek!)
It seems the ticket seller has quite a lot of experience.

Ma Yu and Fang Xiaoxiao were in front of the three.

Fang Xiaoxiao tugged at Ma Yu's sleeve, signaling him to bend down, then planted a kiss on his cheek, looking up at the ticket seller with anticipation.

The ticket seller hesitated for a long time while holding his phone. Under the impatient urging of the customers behind him, he forcibly suppressed the urge to call the police and handed the tickets to the two people.

'They must be cousins, trying to scam people out of half-price tickets. Kids will be kids, I understand they want to save money.'

The ticket seller silently consoled herself.

When it was Ai Liang's and her two companions' turn, the ticket seller fell silent again.

Yang Xingyue stood awkwardly behind Ai Liang, while Yue Qihua appeared calm on the surface, but her wandering eyes betrayed her true feelings.

The expressions on the two girls' faces made him feel even more miserable after watching couples kissing for over an hour.

It's one thing to see normal couples showing affection, but you brought two of them?!
"Sorry, couple tickets are for two people only."

The ticket seller suppressed the urge to hit someone and politely offered a suggestion. Then, everyone around Ai Liang glared at her with eyes as sharp as knives.

Many men showed great disdain on their faces, adopting an attitude of "we are ashamed to be associated with them," but secretly they cast envious glances at them.

"One single ticket, thank you."

Ai Liang calmly asked for a single ticket.

This isn't the first time we've encountered this situation.

He remembered that it was when he had just met Yue Qihua and the others.

The three of them went to the cafeteria together, and from queuing for food to returning the utensils, they were constantly being stared at by others.

It was just a small thing, like sitting down for a meal together, but it was rumored to be a love triangle.

The rumor didn't completely disappear until Yue Qihua became the school bully in the second year of junior high school, so Ai Liang rarely went out with the two of them in public places after that.

'Anyway, we're unlikely to see each other again; this is the last time.'

Ai Liang thought to herself.

He clearly remembered his high school and college classmates from his previous life; basically, if they didn't keep in touch for a while after graduation, it was as if they had completely lost contact.

Relationships between people are so fragile.

Of course, this may also be related to Ai Liang's personality.

Upon entering the amusement park, Ai Liang put her backpack in a locker, and the five of them gathered together to discuss the rides they wanted to visit.

"How about we split up? Xiaoxiao and I will go check it out first."

Ma Yu seems to want to split the five people into two groups here, clearly wanting to enjoy some alone time for two.

Ai Liang had no intention of following his lead. If Ma Yu and Fang Xiaoxiao left, wouldn't she be the one leading Yue Qihua and Yang Xingyue?
Just buying tickets was enough to draw attention; if I took them wandering around all day, they'd be riddled with stares behind my back.

As the saying goes, "Better to sacrifice a friend than myself," Ai Liang immediately said, "No, I don't know much about amusement parks. I'll just go with you. The amusement park is so big, it would be a waste of time if we got separated and had to regroup."

Ignoring Ma Yu's resentful gaze, Ai Liang insisted on acting together.

Today he's determined to be a 100-watt light bulb.

"Ai Liang, is this your first time at an amusement park?"

Yang Xingyue didn't really care whether it was a group activity or a separate activity, as long as she didn't get separated from Ai Liang and Yue Qihua.

"Ah."

“Generally speaking, parents would bring their children here when they were young,” Yang Xingyue said, but suddenly felt a chill.

She looked up at the central air conditioning vents, wondering why such a cool breeze had been blowing out just now.

“They’re very busy.”

Ai Liang squinted her eyes and smiled, "He's very busy, so he rarely stays home with me."

Yang Xingyue, who was hearing about Ai Liang's family situation for the first time, felt a sense of resonance: "It's just like me and Hua Hua's. My dad rarely comes home, and Hua Hua's parents are also away from home most of the year. We can only see each other once a year during the Chinese New Year."

The seemingly similar family backgrounds opened up Yang Xingyue, who began to talk endlessly about her childhood, trying to find common ground with Ai Liang.

Ai Liang's smile grew even brighter.

(End of this chapter)