"This is a return gift."
Sakura said so.
"........."
So, sister, this thing you prepared is a gift?
Ling looked at her sister in shock in the back seat.
"Thank you, I like it very much."
However, what Ling didn't expect was that Xi Wang actually accepted it very happily and seemed to like this gift very much.
"........."
Ling looked at the bag of candy in her hand, then at the candy box in Xiwang's hand, feeling a little confused.
In the end, she could only regard it as a unique interest between her sister and Brother Wang.
The next thing is naturally the most important activity of the day - going to the amusement park.
Well... the process was naturally smooth and joyful. Except for some attractions that Ling couldn't play due to her age, they almost played in the entire amusement park.
Of course, there were some small incidents along the way... Ling met classmates who came here with their families when they were preparing to play the last project, which was the Ferris wheel.
I can only say that it is such a coincidence~ (read)
Then Ling happily went to play with her classmates, and even slipped out of the team and ran directly to the classmates who were resting at the rest stop to chat with them. No matter how hard they tried to call her back, she couldn't be called back, leaving Ying and Xiwang standing in the middle of the team awkwardly.
Although all this felt like an unusual coincidence, although Ling's ears seemed to be deaf at this time, although Ling's classmates seemed a little confused and bewildered, although Ling's parents could have dissuaded them, although they could actually turn back at this time - even if they were the next one, it was not impossible to leave and take Ling with them to wait for the next wave.
But...none of these came to pass in the end.
Ling pretended not to hear. She had known that her classmates would come to play with their families today, so she asked her sister to book the tickets for today. And they met by chance because she had used the terminal to ask about her classmates' location in advance.
The classmate's parents obviously noticed something, so they allowed Ling to chat with their daughter and even bought a drink for Ling.
My dear sister, I have done this much, please don't let me down again...
Ling thought as she kept an eye on the direction Sakura and Xi were looking at out of the corner of her eye.
Perhaps she heard her sister's voice. Ying, who was still hesitating, gritted her teeth, grabbed Xiwang who wanted to go back, and said those words.
"It's OK if it's just the two of us. We're already in line here, why don't we sit down?"
"That bell..."
"Ling wants to chat with her classmates. At worst, we can take her for another ride when we get down."
Sakura said so.
"........."
Xi Wang glanced at the sign next to her that read [One round 30 minutes], then looked at the long queue behind her, and really wanted her to reconsider.
But in the end, Ying forcefully dragged him into the cockpit, seemingly not intending to give Xiwang time to regret... nor to leave any time for herself.
So the two of them were "forced" to stay in the same room.
But after that, I encountered a new problem...how to start?
Sitting on one side of the cabin, Ying lowered her head, fiddling with the handle of her shoulder bag with her hands, and her eyes were full of jealousy.
Obviously, they had been in the same room before during missions, and even in more cramped places, and had been close to each other before, but why was it so tense today...
What's more, taking the initiative to find topics was not her strong point. Although she seemed to have successfully pulled Xi Wang in, she had no way out.
It's not impossible to do nothing, but now that things have come to this, wouldn't it be a bit unreasonable if there is really no action at all?
Ah... my lovely sister... As expected, I am not only an idiot but also a waste...
"If you're nervous, you can listen to some music."
A calm voice came from the seat opposite. Xi Wang was sitting at the side, supporting his face with his hands, leaning on the guardrail, admiring the scenery outside through the cabin glass.
"You have it with you, right? Earphones. If you feel nervous, just listen to some music. I remember you have this habit."
He glanced at Sakura who was sitting opposite him, and then moved his gaze to the scenery outside. His eyes occasionally lingered on the gradually dim sunset, and occasionally swept across the roller coaster project on the edge of the park, but his eyes stayed more on the rest area below.
"If you're worried about Ling, you can see them here too."
Sakura turned her head and looked down, and sure enough, she found Ling chatting happily with her classmates' parents. Occasionally, she would look up, as if she was looking for their cockpit.
"Feel sorry……"
"It's ok."
Sakura took out the earphones from her bag with a slightly apologetic look. After all, wearing earphones to listen to music in this situation...to be honest, it was a bit rude, as if it seemed like she didn't respect the other person.
And when she took out the headphones, her bag deflated visibly, as if that was the only thing stuffed in the bag.
She took out the terminal, connected it to the headphones, and played her favorite music. Sakura gradually calmed down and was no longer as nervous as before.
I looked up at the other person and found that Xi Wang was still looking outside. It seemed that he liked the scenery outside so much that he couldn't take his eyes off it.
"Um...Wang, do you want to listen?"
Perhaps she had adjusted her mindset, Ying took off her headphones and asked softly.
"Huh? Okay."
Xi Wang shifted his gaze back to her, seemed a little surprised, then nodded in understanding, stretched out his hand, and waited for her to hand him the headphones.
However, Ying stood up and came over, put the headphones on Xiwang personally, and then sat down next to him.
She was nervous - Xiwang realized this very clearly because Ying forgot to change the song.
Although I have heard before that Sakura's taste in songs is very "unique", to the point that most people in Du Pupa are terrified by it, over time, Sakura herself has realized this, so she has gotten into the habit of carrying headphones when she is resting, to prevent herself from excessively affecting others when listening to songs. In the end, every time a newcomer is curious about what song Sakura is listening to, Sakura will change the song before letting the other person listen to it, to avoid any misunderstanding.
As for the song to be played...it is naturally Eden's song. After all, Eden is the most famous and popular star now.
And now, Sakura obviously didn't realize this, or because she was too nervous, her favorite song was still playing in her headphones.
By the time Sakura realized this, a whole song had already passed.
“Very unique taste.”
Hearing the singing of the big star coming from the headphones, Xi Wang took off the headphones at the right time and said.
"Please stop talking..."
Now Ying just wants to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it... This world is no longer suitable for living, so she might as well run away with Ling!
Sakura's eyes looked almost dead.
"I mean it."
Putting the headphones back on Ying's neck, Xiwang said sincerely.
"……Thanks."
At least, there is someone who is willing to agree with her taste... No, even if it's not agreement, but just tolerance, she is already very happy.
The last person who could tolerate her playing songs publicly was her sister. Now...
"……see."
Sakura seemed to have made up her mind.
"Ah."
"Thank you so much for helping me and Ling. Whether it's this relatively safe job, or the protection I applied for Ling, or those high-paying missions... Thank you for your help over the years."
"……Um."
"so……"
Sakura took a deep breath.
"Would you like to stay for dinner tonight?"
She said so.
"I also made some cherry blossom wine. Although it may sound like I'm bragging, I think I'm pretty good at cooking."
Although she didn't say it directly, this was the best she could do...ah, if Ling saw this, she would probably tell others about it.
It was indeed too difficult for her to say those words. Using such a tactful way was already her best effort.
"... Ying, do you know that when Poison Pupa recruits people - no matter which method is used, when the final members join, detailed information will be placed on the desks of the guys above. For some high-value bounties and some missions targeting nobles, the relevant investigation reports will also be reviewed by them in advance, and will be handed over to the executors of the mission after leaving a backup. The information will even be updated after the mission is completed."
He looked at Sakura and spoke softly.
"After several expansions, the Poison Pupa has gradually evolved from a [killer organization] to an organizational structure similar to the current [agent organization]. However, the control methods and means used in the previous killer period against the employees have not changed, and have even become worse..."
"Do you know what this means?"
"........."
Ying didn't say anything, but her hands unconsciously clenched together.
"In other words, Poison Pupa knows every single one of the current [employees] inside out, not to mention the strongest ones among them. At the same time, because of the special nature of Poison Pupa, it has a very subtle but still very broad [connection], and the clients who issue tasks and post bounties mostly come from these [connections]..."
"To put it simply, starting from a certain period of time, the poison pupa knows the background of the [employees] thoroughly, and can also control the tasks they accept through some special means. Then, based on this, it combines the drugs and special means left behind by the previous [killer] period to further guide the [employees] in the direction they expect and become what they expect."
"........."
Sakura understood what he was trying to say.
"That's why after we met, you were quickly exchanged by that gang to Poison Pupa... Although this freed you from the oppression of the Greedy Wolves, it also made you lose more freedom and embark on a path that was arranged for you."
What he wanted to say was simply that all this was due to arrangements from above, that all these feelings were formed under intentional guidance, and were the result of their deliberate guidance.
Everything is done for the purpose of better controlling his subordinates and for the purpose of better controlling the sharpest "knife" in the poisonous cocoon.
And she is the sheath that is used to store the knife so that it can be controlled by people.
"So it's... rejection, right?"
"……Um."
Xiwang's gaze returned to the scenery outside... This was the apex of the Ferris wheel, and the wide view made him feel comfortable.
"So... do you have someone you like?"
“…Probably not yet.”
A pink-haired girl flashed through Xiwang's mind, but her figure was very blurry, and even overlapped with Ying beside her, making it difficult to tell whether it was Ying or someone else. In the end, the figure seemed to look more like Ying.
But he was also very clear that this feeling of his was probably not love, but an awkward, twisted emotion mixed with all kinds of "impurities", a [knot] that was... difficult to untie.
"Really... Then at least we're still friends, right?"
"of course."
"That……"
Xiwang felt his arm slightly heavy.
"Just... let me lean on you for a moment."
She spoke softly, with no discernible emotion, but the volume of the song playing from the headphones hanging around her neck became much louder.
"It will be fine in a moment..."
"........."
Xiwang didn't say anything, but just looked out the window quietly, waiting for the cabin to land.
Time is always short, and time filled with happiness is even more so. After reconnecting with Ling, taking her on another ride on the Ferris wheel, and enjoying the evening fireworks show at the amusement park on the Ferris wheel, it was time to leave.
During this process, Sakura seemed to have adjusted her mentality, or perhaps she didn't want to act too inappropriately in front of her sister Ling, so she seemed quite normal.
But when she was with Xiwang, there was no longer the subtle feeling of awkwardness she had felt before, and the atmosphere was even much more harmonious, which made Ling think that her sister had succeeded.
Just wait until you get home.
"… Ling, please go inside first."
Sakura said this while sitting in the passenger seat.
"Good~"
Ling didn't suspect anything and thought that the two of them just had something to talk about in private, so she got out of the car and went into the house obediently.
"…………"x2
There was another silence in the car.
