TT Chapter 41. Disney

They visited the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the Alice in Wonderland Maze, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. Chen Ting and Pei Yiyao spent the entire day wandering through the fairytale kingdom. Each ride brought five minutes of fun and two hours of waiting.

Without a guide or a FASTPASS, the consequence was endless queues. But Chen Ting’s enthusiasm never wavered, because Pei Yiyao was waiting in line with him.

When they queued together, one of them could sit and rest. But Pei Yiyao would never let Chen Ting get tired, so no matter what Chen Ting said, it was always Pei Yiyao who stood in line.

At some point, while they were waiting, Chen Ting disappeared from the resting area.

Pei Yiyao frowned slightly and scanned the crowd from above with his height advantage, but he could not spot him anywhere. He took out his phone and called. The call connected quickly, and Chen Ting’s slightly breathless voice came through.

“Hold on, I went to buy a chicken leg.”

“Be careful by yourself.”

After a good while, Chen Ting finally returned, holding out a small paper box with a huge chicken leg inside. “Here, eat it. It was fifty-five yuan.”

Even someone as bold with money as Chen Ting still winced at paying fifty-five for a chicken leg. Of course, he was not about to skip it just to save money. The leg was big, and he was still growing. If he ate too little and failed to reach his full height, that would be a problem.

Pei Yiyao, however, was thinking about something else. With Chen Ting’s height, once he got lost in a crowd, it was like a drop of water falling into the sea, impossible to spot. As he considered this, he caught sight of a balloon vendor nearby and said, “Eat here first. I’ll be right back.”

Chen Ting was mid-bite, his mouth full of meat, so he could not ask where Pei Yiyao was going before he was already gone. Left standing in the line, he simply continued gnawing on his chicken leg, figuring that a grown man like Pei Yiyao could not possibly get lost.

A short while later, he felt something tugging at his backpack. He turned quickly and saw Pei Yiyao tying a string to it. At the end of the string floated a Mickey Mouse balloon.

“What are you doing?” he asked, thoroughly confused.

“Positioning,” Pei Yiyao replied succinctly.

Chen Ting thought for two seconds before understanding, and immediately protested. “I’m not going to run off. Take it off right now.”

Pei Yiyao refused. “It’s fine.”

“I’m an adult!”

“That’s why it’s not tied to your wrist.”

Chen Ting was furious. Did Pei Yiyao actually want to tie the balloon to his wrist? He was not a kindergartener. Why did he deserve this treatment? Besides, even if they got separated, they could just use their phones to locate each other.

Just then, a child’s voice piped up from behind in the line. “Mom, look! That gege has a big Mickey on his backpack!”

Chen Ting instinctively turned around and locked eyes with the boy. It was a happy-looking family of three. The gentle mother smiled politely at Chen Ting, then turned back to her son and said, “That’s Mickey. Now look over there, what’s that one?”

The little boy followed her finger and clapped his hands with excitement. “Donald Duck! It’s Donald Duck! Mom, let’s go buy Donald Duck…”

Chen Ting actually liked Donald Duck better too. He could not help mumbling under his breath.

Pei Yiyao leaned down slightly. “What did you say?”

Chen Ting glared at him. “Take the balloon off my backpack. I’ll hold it in my hand if I have to.”

But Pei Yiyao was being completely unreasonable today. Chen Ting tried to untie it himself, but his hands were greasy from the chicken leg, and the napkin was in Pei Yiyao’s pocket.

He gave up.

After he finished eating, he waited until Pei Yiyao looked away for just a second, then darted off. He ran straight to the vendor Pei Yiyao had bought the balloon from and purchased a Donald Duck. Then he brought it back and handed it to Pei Yiyao.

The little boy behind them had more to say. “Mom, look! Their Donald Duck looks just like mine!”

Chen Ting grinned and tied the balloon to Pei Yiyao’s finger. Pei Yiyao did not resist at all and let him do as he pleased.

Two balloons, two good-looking people, and a perfectly matched height difference drew far more attention than most. But in a theme park full of strangers, Chen Ting felt freer than usual. He even reached out and took Pei Yiyao’s hand.

Once he held it, Pei Yiyao would not let go. They walked hand in hand through Fantasyland, passed by the parade floats, and did everything ordinary couples did, just like all the other pairs around them.

By the time they returned to the hotel that night, Chen Ting was completely worn out. He tossed off his backpack and collapsed face-first onto the bed, refusing to move another inch.

Pei Yiyao leaned over and gently rubbed his slightly flattened curls. He let him rest for half an hour, then scooped him up, took off his jacket, and carried him into the bathroom.

Chen Ting, utterly useless, slumped against his shoulder and gave a single instruction. “I want to wash my hair.”

They had already done the most intimate things together. As a real man, Chen Ting was not going to be embarrassed anymore.

Unless…

“Not there! You’re not washing there!” Chen Ting twisted away from his hand, his face burning red.

Pei Yiyao said nothing. He simply stared at him.

Of course Chen Ting could tell exactly what that look meant. But he was way too tired tonight, and they still had another day of walking ahead. No matter what, it was not happening. He started trying to put some distance between them before things got out of hand.

But his body was slick with body wash, and the bathtub was far too slippery. One wrong move, and he lost his footing.

Pei Yiyao reached out to catch him, but he failed to get a grip. The two of them toppled together into the bathtub, ending up in a rather shameful, tangled position.

Oh no.

Operator error, Chen Ting thought.

As for what happened after that, Chen Ting would rather not remember. The whole thing deserved a full-screen mosaic. Have mercy on the single dogs.

Fortunately, Pei Yiyao could not bear to tire Chen Ting out. He did not go all the way. He wrapped him in a bath towel, dried his hair, and carried him to the bed. Then he returned to the bathroom to take a proper shower. Only after the heat in his body had mostly faded did he come back out again.

In the room, Chen Ting was already fast asleep on the large hotel bed. His lips were slightly red and puffy, parted just a little. Every now and then, he smacked them unconsciously in his sleep.

Pei Yiyao forced himself to look away, ran the hairdryer quickly over his head, and then turned off the lights, getting ready to sleep. But the moment he touched Chen Ting, Chen Ting turned over and muttered, as if half-awake, “No more, no more…”

Pei Yiyao looked closer and realized he was talking in his sleep.

He could not help smiling and pulled him into his arms. Chen Ting gave a token resistance, then quickly gave up.

Of course he had to resist. But only symbolically.

In the next second, Chen Ting’s thigh naturally came to rest over Pei Yiyao’s. Then he buried his face against his chest, shifted around a few times to get comfortable, and continued sleeping like the dead.

Pei Yiyao could not resist patting him on the butt. Chen Ting did not even flinch.

The next morning, maybe because he was looking forward to another day in the park, Chen Ting woke up before eight. As expected, he found himself lying in Pei Yiyao’s arms. He wiggled under the covers, planning to nap another ten minutes, when he noticed a suspicious wet patch on Pei Yiyao’s chest.

He bolted upright, jumped out of bed, and rushed into the bathroom. Calmly, he squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush and pretended nothing had happened.

He had fallen asleep early last night. Anything that happened afterward was not his responsibility.

Pei Yiyao had actually woken up before him. He had seen the entire thing but said nothing. He thought this must be the “fun” that Xu Yiming had once mentioned. Either way, he liked this slightly mischievous side of Chen Ting.

Today, Chen Ting’s energy held up well. He and Pei Yiyao spent another half-day in the park, checking off all the rides they had been interested in. As the sun began to set, they started their drive back to campus.

At the same time, Ruan Xin was on the road, headed toward N University.

She had actually been there once already the evening before. That afternoon, she had a meeting with a client near University Town and had thought to stop by for dinner with Pei Yiyao and Chen Ting.

Since it was a last-minute decision, Ruan Xin had not called Pei Yiyao ahead of time. But based on her understanding of her son, there was a good chance, at least eight or nine out of ten that he would be on campus.

It was not her first visit to N University, and her car was eye-catching enough that the moment she pulled up to the school gate, someone recognized her. That person turned out to be one of Pei Yiyao’s roommates. When he saw Ruan Xin get out of the car, he took the initiative to greet her.

“Auntie, are you here to see Pei Yiyao? He went out with Chen Ting.”

“He went out?”

“Yeah, they went to Disneyland together. They probably won’t be back until this time tomorrow.” The roommate knew that Pei Yiyao and Chen Ting were dating, but after so long, the two of them acted so naturally that it just felt normal. Besides, there was nothing strange about two friends going on a trip together.

The speaker said it casually, but the listener did not take it so lightly. Ruan Xin could not help thinking again about that seatbelt moment, and her unease deepened. If it were just shopping or a meal, it would still seem ordinary. But Disneyland?

Pei Yiyao had never liked amusement parks. Ever since he was little, they were his least favorite places. He would rather go to a planetarium, or even a zoo, than visit an amusement park.

“I see. I’ll give him a call, then.” Ruan Xin bid the roommate goodbye, got back into her car, and drove off. But that night she could not sleep. She could not share her doubts with her husband either, so she returned to N University once again.

By the time she reached the school gate, it was already five thirty in the evening.

She parked the car in a discreet spot. After confirming that Pei Yiyao had not yet returned, she went to a café directly across from the main gate and found a seat to wait.

She ended up waiting for over an hour.

During that time, Ruan Xin kept wondering if she was overthinking it. Maybe Pei Yiyao just had a special bond with Chen Ting. After all, Chen Ting was the kind of boy everyone liked. He was pleasant, well-mannered, and easy to get along with. It would not be strange if Pei Yiyao treated him more warmly than others.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed likely that she was just being paranoid. As the sun began to set, she prepared to leave. But just as she finished paying and turned to go, she saw Pei Yiyao’s car through the café’s glass window.

Student vehicles were not allowed inside the school, since parking spaces were reserved for faculty and staff. Pei Yiyao always had to park at a nearby lot and walk the rest of the way.

Ruan Xin hesitated. She stayed in the café a little longer.

By now, the sky had gone completely dark. After dinner hours, foot traffic around the gate had thinned considerably.

The dim streetlights lit up the avenue in front of the school. Compared to the campus, the food street behind her looked even brighter, bustling with lights and voices.

And it was against this backdrop that she saw Pei Yiyao slowly walking over from the direction of the parking lot with Chen Ting on his back. Chen Ting had his chin resting on his shoulder, legs swinging, seemingly chatting with him about something.

Perhaps because of the warm glow of the streetlights, Pei Yiyao’s expression appeared much softer than usual.

When they reached the school gate, Pei Yiyao came to a stop.

Chen Ting shook his head, as if insisting on walking the rest of the way himself. He fussed for quite a while before Pei Yiyao finally set him down. Then he firmly took his backpack and gave his head a gentle rub.

The way they interacted, it looked just like a couple.