17 Resentment and Anger

“Jian, do you remember on my fifteenth birthday, you took me to the amusement park too?”

Unfortunately, that amusement park was located in the suburbs. Because few people visited, it gradually fell into disrepair over time and became an abandoned playground, later turning into a spot for thrill-seekers and explorers.

“Yeah, Sang Sang even won a trophy that day,” Song Jianli nodded.

Lu Yu pursed his lips slightly. “Too bad I accidentally broke it last night.”

With the amusement park’s decline, the medals and trophies were the only proof that the two had once played there. The trophy’s shattering felt like losing a piece of their memories, which explained his sadness.

“It’s okay. Maybe someday they’ll have events like that here again, right?” Song Jianli reached out and brushed a petal off Lu Yu’s hair.

The park was surrounded by tassel flowers and cherry blossoms. The pink petals danced in the breeze, like a scene straight out of a Japanese manga.

Lu Yu shook his head. “No way! This is the biggest amusement park in Linqi City. If there were events like that, tons of people would show up. There’s no way I’d win again.”

“Why not? Didn’t Sang Sang win last time?” Song Jianli’s voice softened at the end, as if coaxing a child.

Lu Yu kept shaking his head. “Ah, I can’t argue with you anyway.”

Song Jianli smiled quietly. Watching Lu Yu get a little confused made him feel warm inside, as if he had eaten something sweet that left a lingering sweetness.

Most of the time, Lu Yu didn’t believe in himself, but Song Jianli always had unwavering confidence in him. Changing the subject, Lu Yu said, “Enough talk, let’s go play.”

“Okay. There’s a map here. Let’s start with the nearest ride.” Hearing Lu Yu didn’t want to continue that conversation, he took Lu Yu’s hand and led him to a signboard displaying a flat map of the amusement park.

“We’re here. Shall we ride the roller coaster first?” Lu Yu pointed at the roller coaster on the map.

Song Jianli smiled and nodded. “Sure. I’ll ask the staff for a map. You wait here for a moment.”

“Okay!” Lu Yu nodded obediently.

They walked side by side toward the roller coaster.

Though it was unclear why the amusement park, located in the city center, had such sparse crowds today, Lu Yu considered it a stroke of luck.

Song Jianli soon returned with the map. The staff guided them and a few other visitors inside.

“Are you scared?” Song Jianli naturally held Lu Yu’s hand as the safety bar descended.

Lu Yu looked firmly into Song Jianli’s eyes. “Not scared.”

“Then what about me? I’m a little scared.” Song Jianli removed his glasses. Because he hadn’t worn contact lenses in time, everything except Lu Yu’s face was blurry to him.

Lu Yu tilted his head. “Eh? Then let’s not ride it.”

“The staff have all left,” Song Jianli whispered.

After quickly thinking it through, Lu Yu came up with a perfect plan.

“Don’t be scared, Jian!” Lu Yu grabbed Song Jianli’s fingers with his own hand, his voice steady and eyes sincere. Song Jianli smiled, revealing a row of neat, porcelain-like teeth.

Song Jianli said, “I was just kidding.”

“You’re such a liar, Jian.” Lu Yu said that, but he didn’t let go of Song Jianli’s hand.

The roller coaster began to slowly move. Sweat poured uncontrollably from Lu Yu’s palm, so before the coaster plunged down from its highest track, Song Jianli turned his head to look into Lu Yu’s eyes, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Sang Sang.”

Like a calming injection, Lu Yu nodded. “Mm!”

…

“Ugh—”

“Mom, I’m never riding… the roller coaster… ugh—again.”

…

After getting off the roller coaster, among the group of riders, some were weak in the knees, some were vomiting from fright, but Lu Yu’s face remained calm, though his heart was pounding fiercely.

“How was it?” Song Jianli put on his glasses.

“Jian…” Lu Yu leaned close and whispered, “It was so thrilling.”

“Want to come again next time?” Song Jianli asked.

Lu Yu nodded. “Yes!”

It was a bit strange—Lu Yu was usually timid, yet he always showed enthusiasm when trying these thrill rides.

Song Jianli found it curious but, seeing no oddity in Lu Yu, kept his doubts to himself.

They stayed at other attractions for a while longer until nearly one o’clock, when Lu Yu said he was tired. In half a day, they had tried most of the rides in the park.

It was expected that Lu Yu would get tired.

For lunch, they went to a high-end restaurant next to the amusement park.

Soft music played inside. The atmosphere was upscale yet elegant. As soon as they entered, a waiter approached.

“Are you dining today?” The waiter greeted with a practiced smile.

Song Jianli nodded. “Please seat us somewhere quiet.”

“Of course, right this way.” The waiter bowed slightly, extended a hand, and led them to a window table on the twelfth floor, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding buildings.

“Xiao Wu, these two customers are ready to order.” After seating them, the waiter straightened and called out to a young man nearby.

“Got it, Sister Zhang.”

The man called Xiao Wu hurried over and handed Song Jianli a menu.

Song Jianli passed the menu to Lu Yu, and Sister Zhang left.

The dishes here started at three digits and many were in the four-digit range, all in English.

Lu Yu wasn’t worried about money—he was born into the Lu family, and they wouldn’t skimp on him. But since Song Jianli was treating, he felt reluctant to have Jianli spend so much.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing Lu Yu hesitate, Song Jianli asked.

Lu Yu whispered, “Isn’t this too expensive?”

He lowered his voice as much as possible, but the restaurant was so silent the waiter nearby heard everything clearly.

Song Jianli said, “It’s okay. Just see what you want to eat.”

“Hmm…” Lu Yu flipped another page, looking thoughtful.

Song Jianli rested his elbow on the table, chin in hand, quietly watching Lu Yu like a beautiful painting he couldn’t look away from—his smile growing wider and wider.

Because Lu Yu was just too adorable, even when troubled, Song Jianli’s lips curved up irresistibly.

Unfortunately, some people tend to spoil the mood.

“Can you hurry up? Our prices are always like this. No matter what you pick, it’ll be the same.” Xiao Wu, after careful observation, had decided the two were just ordinary students.

So he couldn’t help but urge them.

Lu Yu’s face flushed deep red, embarrassed and awkward. He hurried to apologize, “Sorry, just one of this and one of that.”

He picked the two cheapest dishes, each costing over three hundred. “Jian, you decide. I don’t really know what to eat.”

Song Jianli pressed his lips lightly, took back the menu, and smiled at Lu Yu. “Sang Sang, go wash your hands first. We’ll eat soon.”

“Okay, I’ll go now.” Lu Yu draped his jacket over the back of his chair.

“Excuse me, where’s the restroom…” he politely asked Xiao Wu.

Song Jianli cut him off. “Straight ahead, turn left at the end. Go ahead.”

Lu Yu paused, then recalled that Jianli often attended banquets with his father and might have been here before. He pulled a wet tissue from his jacket pocket and walked away.

After Lu Yu turned around and left, Song Jianli casually opened the menu and pulled out his phone, making a call. “I’m here. Come over.”

Xiao Wu swallowed nervously, suddenly regretting his earlier words.

Song Jianli ended the call without looking up, flipping another page of the menu, and casually said, “Article 17 of Huajin Hotel’s employee training: staff may not rush customers for slow ordering. Article 21: staff must not subjectively judge customers’ spending ability and treat them differently…”

“This is internal staff training. How do you know this? Who are you…” Xiao Wu’s face instantly darkened.

Song Jianli flipped another page. At that moment, a stout, impeccably dressed middle-aged man ran over, wiping sweat with a white handkerchief.

“Mr. Song, what a surprise to see you here! You didn’t give us a heads-up, so we weren’t prepared…” Lü Changfeng’s eyes were fixed on Song Jianli, still unaware of the situation.

Xiao Wu’s face turned pale as he realized, “You’re Mr. Song? The son of Mr. Song?”

“What’s going on?” Lü Changfeng also sensed trouble.

Song Jianli was too indifferent to waste words. His gaze never left the menu, noting where Sang Sang had lingered.

“Fire him,” Song Jianli said calmly.

“Yes, Mr. Song.” Lü Changfeng, a loyal employee, understood that sometimes the best way to last long was to ask few questions.

“Manager, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know. Please give me a chance, Mr. Song. I didn’t know you were…” Xiao Wu panicked and tried to grab Song Jianli’s hand.

Working at this hotel brought a decent salary, but now facing losing his job over his arrogance and ignorance, Xiao Wu was filled with regret.

Lü Changfeng’s face turned white. He hurried to stop Xiao Wu before he touched Song Jianli and waved over the security to escort him out.

“Mr. Song, please forgive us. We didn’t expect your visit. I haven’t managed my staff well. I hope this hasn’t affected your meal,” Lü Changfeng said with a sycophantic smile, his face swelling with false warmth.

Song Jianli lifted his eyelids to look at him. His eyes were cold and distant, almost merciless. “Tell my father.”

“No, no, Mr. Song. I will make sure my staff memorize the employee code properly…” If this got back to Mr. Song senior, it would be the end of him.

Song Jianli clearly didn’t want to waste more breath and was about to dismiss him when Lu Yu returned from the restroom. Noticing the change in their server, he asked curiously, “Jian, what happened to that waiter just now?”

“He went to handle something. Now Xiao Lü is taking care of us. Look through the menu again and see if anything catches your eye.” Song Jianli truly gave Lü Changfeng a masterclass in changing faces—his gaze and smile suddenly became so gentle they seemed to drip with kindness.

Lü Changfeng stood there, completely dumbfounded.