MFW 25

Chapter 25

Fu Siting was immersed in this fantastical world, while Li Fei watched him. The amusement park wasn’t just a magnet for sixteen-year-old kids; it held an irresistible charm for twenty-eight-year-old Fu Siting too. Living in Golden Oak, Fu Siting would sometimes hop on the shuttle bus to the amusement park when he lacked inspiration for new games, seeking that spark of creativity.

He genuinely loved the amusement park. In contrast, Li Fei had little interest in the park itself. His pleasure in coming here had always been watching Fu Siting enjoy himself, observing the smile that filled him with vibrant energy and happiness.

Li Fei had never been one for romanticism. Without Fu Siting, he likely would never have come this close to a fairy-tale world. Besides, as an actor, he’d worked with enough special effects to make 5D roller coasters feel ordinary.

The only thing that held his gaze was the light in Fu Siting’s eyes. That was why he kept coming back, time and again. But it was strange. Li Fei knew himself well. He’d trained in violin and piano since childhood, but abandoned it after winning an international award at a young age. At fifteen, he released an album that sold well, yet he never mustered the interest to make a second one.

Countless people lamented his decision, and even now record labels persistently reached out. Unfortunately, the downside of extraordinary talent was his profound inability to sustain long-term focus on anything “ordinary.” This applied to every book he read, every film he watched, every person he met. Once he’d fully grasped something, interest vanished.

So amusement parks held no appeal for him. Many other things likewise failed to deliver the novelty and joy he craved. Even adorable kittens and puppies couldn’t hold his attention for more than ten minutes.

The only reason he kept making movies all these years was that each script, each setting, each character was different. He was grateful that film offered him another perspective, allowing him to briefly escape the tedium of everything and experience different lives. But in truth, though dedicated, he never became obsessed.

The industry has those acting fanatics. Li Fei envied their surging emotions, their ability to immerse themselves completely in every role, captivated. Yet sometimes, the public deemed such performances “over the top,” generally favoring his meticulously crafted, “just right” acting style.

Li Fei had heard of someone in the industry over a decade ago who resembled him. Equally young, exceptionally talented, wealthy beyond measure, and blessed with unique advantages, this person died within a few years from alcoholism and drug abuse. His final words were that he felt nothing, a sentiment most people couldn’t comprehend, leading them to lament and condemn him for not cherishing his life.

Li Fei counted himself fortunate not to have reached such extremes. While he too felt little passion for the world, he hadn’t succumbed to nihilism or self-destruction. For years, he’d simply lived by rote, observing the world around him like a black-and-white film, a constant stream of people passing by, yet never immersed in any real joy or sorrow.

Until he met Fu Siting. Meeting one person suddenly dyed his colorless life with vibrant hues. Li Fei would never have believed such an outlandish notion. Yet it miraculously happened to him. He couldn’t deny it. For through Fu Siting’s smile, he suddenly felt life’s genuine warmth. Through his joys and sorrows, he experienced vivid emotions.

It was a strange sensation, one Li Fei couldn’t quite explain. He only knew that before, he hadn’t appreciated how delicious cake was, how crisp bamboo shoots tasted, or how sweet salmon could be. It was only when he saw Fu Siting savor these flavors with such vivid emotion, almost to the point of tears, that he suddenly realized… yes, they really were delicious.

Similarly, he had never felt any emotional stirrings when buying new clothes or watches. It was only upon seeing Fu Siting’s bright expression when trying on new things that he seemed to realize for the first time: Ah, having new clothes to wear really is quite joyful.

There were also many books he hadn’t grasped, yet he’d convinced himself he’d mastered them, setting them aside never to revisit. It was only through discussions with Fu Siting that he discovered how vastly different people could interpret the same story. From then on, he rekindled interest and reverence for things he’d thought he’d already understood.

In a way, Fu Siting saved him. It felt like a poor but sunny, resilient village swordsman had yanked the prince out of his magic-sealed gray tower. The forbidden spell snapped, and frozen time began flowing again. For the first time in the real world, the prince felt the vividness and liveliness rushing toward him. Everything changed.

Day by day, Li Fei could feel himself sinking deeper, becoming less and less like himself. So many emotions he’d never known before. Even the framework and principles that should have been fixed were all beginning to waver. Li Fei had asked himself why, even though he hadn’t spent much time truly understanding Fu Siting’s personality, he hadn’t lost interest.

Instead, he found himself increasingly… desperate to hold on, to keep him by his side forever. The moment Li Fei truly realized his hopelessness came during their first extended separation after becoming a couple. Fu Siting was buried in preparations for his company’s new game launch, unavailable. Li Fei, meanwhile, was heading to Finland for a month-long shoot. Half a world apart, separated by time zones and relentless schedules. Even a few hurried minutes of video chat each day felt like a rare luxury. Li Fei discovered that after wrapping up filming, he could sometimes sit quietly in a snowy cabin under the Northern Lights in Scandinavia, staring at their photos on his phone for long stretches. He’d even find himself smiling at the pictures. Yet this behavior, something he’d once scoffed at as “inefficient” plot devices in romantic dramas, had become his reality.

Until he finally admitted it: even a meticulous man like himself could let his guard down. Like a ghost ship that never stops drifting across the sea. For centuries, it sailed alone, no harbor in the world able to hold it. But one day, that ghost ship found a quiet, sheltered town. And just like that, it anchored there.

That town was perfect in every way. Yet if you asked what made it special, you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. But somehow, it felt like a place you could stay forever.

…

At four in the afternoon, the summer amusement park reached its peak heat. Despite the scorching temperatures, crowds still eagerly awaited the parade. Li Fei: “…”

By this point, Li Fei had long since abandoned any semblance of composure. His sweat-soaked hair was swept completely back, the black cat ear headband serving its purpose well. In stark contrast, Fu Siting barely broke a sweat under the same scorching heat. This wasn’t the first time. Li Fei recalled their sauna outing together. While he’d nearly dehydrated and baked to a crisp, Fu Siting hadn’t flinched.

As the floats approached, the crowd grew boisterous with excitement. Fu Siting pressed him against the wall, pulling out tissues to wipe the sweat trickling down Li Fei’s temple.

“Thanks for hanging out with me this long.”

“If it gets too hot, let’s head back early.”

“…”

Li Fei ignored him, waving his umbrella. “Who’s hot? Look, the floats are here!”

Upbeat music filled the air, instantly igniting the crowd. Children squealed with excitement. Fairy tale characters stood atop fantastically decorated floats, waving enthusiastically to the audience, singing, dancing, and interacting closely.

Fu Siting happily snapped photos the entire way. Halfway through the parade, he suddenly grabbed Li Fei’s wrist and shook it excitedly: “That astronaut! We have his action figure in the toy room at home!”

It was Buzz Lightyear. Fu Siting’s remark revealed something to Li Fei: the sixteen-year-old boy had no idea who most of the cartoon characters on the floats were. He didn’t recognize Princess Rapunzel, didn’t know Nemo the fish, had never seen Elsa or Anna, and had no clue what LinaBell was.

He only recognized the most basic Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, and barely knew Snow White and Cinderella. That was it. So even though he’d tried his hardest to interact with every character throughout the parade, he had no idea what he was actually interacting with. He could name fewer characters than the five- or six-year-old blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl riding on her dad’s shoulders behind him. Twenty-eight-year-old Fu Siting recognized every single character in the parade.

But twelve years ago, Xiaoting couldn’t afford toys, couldn’t afford snacks, couldn’t afford movies. He struggled daily just to survive, leaving no time to learn about these things.

“…”

After the parade ended, Li Fei was too sunburned to eat anything, but Fu Siting was genuinely hungry. He felt terribly guilty as he wolfed down two huge burgers and drank two cans of soda right in front of Li Fei. After finishing, he sat dazed and dizzy from the sugar rush. Li Fei casually pointed at the decorations above the food cart.

“That redhead is The Little Mermaid.”

“The one from Andersen’s fairy tale, but in the Disney version she and the prince have a happy ending. The rabbit police officer next to her is Judy… For you, she’s probably a character that came out a few years later, so it’s normal you don’t recognize her.”

“The cowboy is Woody, from the same movie as Buzz Lightyear. He…”

He rattled off some details, not expecting Fu Siting to actually be interested. But Fu Siting was fascinated. He pulled out the photos from earlier, asking questions left and right, pestering Li Fei for a good while. The sky turned dusk, and the fountain lights came on early.

Fu Siting asked cautiously, “Are you tired?”

“Not tired.”

“Really?”

“Really not tired.”

He was just a bit dehydrated from the sun, but fortunately it had set. Li Fei had later starred in several action films, so his stamina was good. “Well, if you’re really not tired… could you stay a little longer with me to watch the fireworks?”

“I think,” Fu Siting pressed his lips together, “I want to stay for the fireworks.”

“…”

“Of course.”

How rare, this was the first time Xiaoting had ever voiced a desire directly. He hadn’t even tried to hide the anticipation in his eyes. Li Fei smiled softly, lowering his gaze as he pulled out the nearly empty tube of sunscreen from his bag.

Did this mean his plan to “raise sixteen-year-old Xiaoting all over again” was showing initial success?

Thinking this, he melted the sunscreen in his palm and leaned in to apply some to Fu Siting’s face first. But unexpectedly, Fu Siting leaned in at the exact same moment. Their breaths mingled. Suddenly, only the other’s face filled his vision, their lips so close they almost touched.

The illuminated fountain beside them felt like a scene from a movie. Fu Siting was flustered and bewildered. He had only bent down to pick up the empty Coke bottle blown over by the wind. Li Fei looked equally innocent, shaking the opened sunscreen in his hand. He had only wanted to help Fu Siting apply one last bit of cream.

“…”

Finally, Fu Siting lowered his gaze and sat still, letting Li Fei press the creamy lotion from his palms firmly against his cheeks several times. He rubbed and massaged, “Even though the sun’s about to set, it’s still pretty harsh. Can’t let Xiating get sunburned.”

“…”

But no matter how fierce the sun, it couldn’t melt a person. The heat from someone’s fingertips, however, was another matter, far more scorching than the sun itself.

Those burning palms could genuinely melt a person. Fu Siting silently lowered his gaze, his chin suddenly seized. Li Fei examined him closely: “Oh no, why is your face so red? Did you really get sunburned?”

“…”

“…”

He wasn’t exactly being polite, and Fu Siting’s cheeks flushed even deeper.

“Alright, face done. Now stick out your little hands.”

He grabbed his hands and rubbed them with lotion. He was enjoying the massage himself, completely oblivious to Fu Siting’s slightly troubled gaze. The fireworks were about to start, so the two walked together towards the front of the castle.

Li Fei studied the park map for shortcuts as they walked, while Fu Siting silently watched him the entire time. His gaze was still and quiet, yet beneath the surface, currents swirled.

***

Author’s Note:

Naughty Cat: Tease and run, heh~

Fu Siting: Locked on =_=+

Affection begins to sour, craving more. (Though it soured from the very start.)