MFW 26

Chapter 26

Though the fireworks wouldn’t start for another half hour, the prime viewing spots in front of Cinderella Castle were already crowded. A couple had staked out the best central location, even laying out a large pink blanket.

Li Fei approached them and handed over several hundred dollars. The couple not only readily gave up their spot and happily walked away, but before leaving, they even kindly took a group photo for the two in front of the castle.

Fu Siting: “……”

Is that even a thing?

Li Fei: “Oh, they’re professionals who take online orders to hold spots for people.”

Fu Siting: “…………”

As night fell, the music began, and the light and fireworks show commenced.

Magical, multicolored lights danced across the walls of Cinderella Castle. Blue, pink, purple… a kaleidoscope of dreamlike hues flickered in succession. Soon, dazzling bursts of fireworks shot skyward, then cascaded down from the castle’s peak like brilliant flowers, scattering stars across the ground.

The fireworks continued to bloom and fade, illuminating the entire park. It was a dreamlike experience lasting a full twenty minutes. Li Fei stole a glance at Fu Siting’s face, hoping to see that cat-like expression again, the one he’d worn while admiring the floats and the starry sky lanterns. But when he actually looked over, he realized Fu Siting’s gray eyes weren’t fixed on the castle at that moment. They were fixed on him.

“What’s wrong?”

The music and crowd noise were deafening, everything swallowed by the roaring sound waves. Li Fei strained to lean closer to Fu Siting, his warm breath brushing against his ear. Fu Siting said something, but no matter how hard he tried, Li Fei couldn’t make it out. Only when the fireworks ended and the surrounding clamor subsided did he ask for an answer. Yet Fu Siting wore a peculiar expression.

“…I said the fireworks were beautiful.”

Li Fei was certain that wasn’t what he’d just said! Under the night sky, the pair had spent the entire day chasing thrills and hadn’t ridden the Ferris wheel yet. Now they slowly made their way toward the lights. The tree-lined path was adorned with sparkling mini-lanterns, their light dancing in the gentle breeze.

Li Fei could tell Fu Siting had genuinely been happy all day. So even if he wasn’t ready to share something right away, it probably wasn’t anything heavy.

In just a few short days, Fu Xiaoting no longer resembled the forlorn, silent stray puppy he’d been days ago. Under his care, he’d relaxed considerably. Even when harboring worries, he now resembled a fox wagging its tail more than a puppy. Especially with those fox ears he was wearing. “Fu Xiaoting, stop. Turn around!” Li Fei snapped a photo.

Tiny colored lights scattered like stars across the sky, casting a soft glow over Fu Siting’s hair. He turned, giving a slightly embarrassed, shy smile. The light illuminated his bright eyes, as clear and deep as ever, like a pristine lake. His little fox earring was slightly askew, so Li Fei walked over to adjust it for him.

The night breeze was gentle. His wrist brushed past Fu Siting’s ear, and Fu Siting’s gaze momentarily softened. Moments later, he began to look at him with an unabashedly expectant gaze, almost reverent. Perhaps the soft, enchanting night had given him courage. This time, he hid nothing, simply drifting along beside him as if in a dream.

…

The Ferris wheel offered a bird’s-eye view of the entire nighttime fairy tale world. Li Fei bent down into the small orange metal cabin, then reached out to pull Fu Siting inside. The cabin swayed slightly before rising upward. Higher and higher, the dazzling nightscape of the entire park, indeed, all of Orlando, gradually unfolded before their eyes.

Fu Siting remained silent for a moment. He had never known before what it felt like to ride a Ferris wheel. The wheel continued its ascent. Distant forests resembled tranquil, ink-black abysses, while lakes mirrored the brightness like giant mirrors. Lights near and far twinkled like stars. The city’s topography and the vast sea of lights were all laid out before them in that moment.

Fu Siting had started with pure excitement. Yet as the height increased, he felt abruptly detached from this bustling spectacle, overwhelmed by an indescribable loneliness. That solitude seemed to possess a powerful force, capable of corroding his chest in an instant. He suddenly dared not imagine what suffocating, deep-sea-like emotions would engulf him if he were standing here alone.

Fortunately.

Fortunately, within the small orange compartment, someone shared his space. The prince of this fairy tale world carried an innate magic that could dispel anything less than beautiful. Their little room happened to be orange too. It resembled a miniature pumpkin carriage.

Li Fei sat by the window, as lazy and elegant as ever, the soft light caressing his profile. He smiled, savoring every subtle shift in Fu Siting’s expression, just as he had every moment these past few days….

Suddenly, fireworks erupted again. Fu Siting’s eyes lit up. The fireworks display had clearly ended, yet someone had set off more. The night sky burst into dazzling brilliance, as if rising from the golf course beyond the amusement park. Whoever was celebrating, massive, colorful blossoms once again adorned the horizon one after another, their vibrant hues dancing and flickering.

“Fu Xiaoting,” Li Fei smiled, “Don’t just stare at me. Look at the fireworks.”

Yes, watch the fireworks. How rare it was to view them from the Ferris wheel. Sixteen-year-old Fu Siting had never had the chance to witness such dazzling, enormous fireworks with his own eyes.

But… at this moment, the brilliance reflected in Li Fei’s bright, dark pupils seemed to encompass the entire cosmic galaxy, far more dazzling and radiant than the fireworks themselves.

His chest heaved, his fingertips tingling. Fu Siting fought to steady his rapid breaths. Blood pulsed through his veins, simmering like fine needles pricking his skin, like tiny electric shocks. He couldn’t tear his gaze away, as if bound by a powerful spell, staring at Li Fei.

Everyone in the amusement park gazed upward at the dazzling fireworks, intoxicated by that fleeting, beautiful moment. Only he stared unwaveringly, eyes fixed solely on him. The clamor and laughter faded into a blurred background noise. The ever-shifting, brilliant sparks reflected different hues in his eyes. The Ferris wheel neared its highest point. Fireworks blazed.

The small orange tin cabin swayed near the summit. All the weight had shifted to one side. Fu Siting sat down beside Li Fei. Beneath the dazzling lights, the roar of the fireworks was drowned out by the pounding of his own heart, beat after beat.

[Kissing at the highest point of the Ferris wheel means you’ll be together forever.]

That nonsense, heard from who knows where, kept echoing in his ears.

“Back at the castle, I wanted to say…”

Even at this lofty height, far from the lights of the city below, the ringing in his ears and the pounding of his heart made the surroundings feel unbearably noisy.

“What I really wanted to say was… could I… kiss you?”

His throat felt parched.

At the peak, the Ferris wheel only pauses briefly.

“Is it okay?” He lowered his gaze, biting his parched lips.

“…Just a kiss.”

“…”

The fireworks outside erupted again, drowning out Li Fei’s reply. Fu Siting stared into those gentle, smiling eyes, unsure. Until Li Fei opened his arms wide.

His heart felt like it had been gently nibbled. At twenty-eight years old, what an incredible person he had in his life. The Ferris wheel stopped at its peak, and he gently cradled Li Fei’s face. His fingertips trembled slightly as he pressed a tender, almost imperceptible kiss halfway between cheek and lip.

***

Author’s Note: Xiaoting finally got his kiss. (Hey!) Xiaoting did ask about whether his mother was still alive twelve years later.

He definitely asked, it just wasn’t written here. It’ll be covered later.