Chapter 88: Look at the camera!

The camera was finally fixed. Lu Tian grumbled as he shoved it into Lu Yuanqiu’s arms. If his son had not come home yesterday insisting on taking photos of Xia Xia, he would never have bothered dragging this antique out at the last minute. In this day and age, who still used a camera? Everyone used phones now.

“Take it. Are you any good at taking pictures? If not, I can take them for Xia Xia.”

“No, no. I have to do it.”

Lu Yuanqiu guarded the camera like a precious meal, slinging the strap around his neck before walking over to Bai Qingxia.

“Sit with Dongdong. I’ll take your picture.”

He spoke while looking through the camera, and when he heard no reply, he looked up and saw Bai Qingxia staring blankly at the carousel.

“Bai Qingxia?”

“Hm?”

The girl came back to herself and turned toward Lu Yuanqiu with a smile.

“What are you spacing out for? Since you’re out here, just have fun properly. Don’t think about anything else.”

“Okay.”

She nodded and answered without the slightest hesitation.

At that moment, Su Xiaoya came over with four tickets. Lu Yidong’s little hand darted out like lightning and snatched one away. Su Xiaoya shot the girl a glare, then walked up beside Bai Qingxia.

“Here, Xia Xia, take it.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Bai Qingxia raised both hands and accepted it somewhat stiffly. Then her eyes unconsciously drifted toward the ticket booth.

Fifteen yuan each.

She had only glanced once, but Lu Yuanqiu’s big hand immediately pinched her fair cheek until her little mouth puckered. In a domineering motion, he forcibly turned her head back.

The boy scolded, “If I catch you sneaking looks at the price again, I’m getting mad. Understand?”

Bai Qingxia obediently nodded.

But Lu Yuanqiu still pinched her face and did not let go. The girl’s pink little mouth was puckered into the shape of a goldfish.

Bai Qingxia turned her eyes toward him and spoke in a muffled voice, “I already stopped looking...”

“Wait. Your cheek is so soft. Let me pinch it a little longer.”

Lu Yuanqiu moved his thumb and middle finger, pinching that soft, smooth skin and shaping the little mouth into all sorts of forms.

The girl immediately raised her small hand to swat at his arm, only for Lu Yuanqiu to dodge in time again.

With a wicked laugh, he hopped back a step.

Bai Qingxia turned away, her delicate brows knitting together. Her small white fist at her side clenched and loosened, as though she wanted to teach him a lesson but had no way to do it.

In the end, she could only look aside and ignore his shameless laughter to show her displeasure.

The carousel was already beginning the next round of boarding, and Lu Yidong hurried over to take Bai Qingxia’s hand. “Come with me, sis!”

Lu Yuanqiu readied the camera to take pictures.

Bai Qingxia and Lu Yidong sat on adjacent wooden horses. The carousel, lit up like a pumpkin carriage, glowed with lights as the two girls rose and fell with the motion. Lu Yidong laughed and patted her sister’s shoulder, while Bai Qingxia shyly turned back and smiled at her.

“Remember to look at the camera next round, both of you!”

Lu Yuanqiu called out from outside.

Hearing that, Bai Qingxia immediately looked over and grew nervous.

Beside her, Lu Yidong quickly said, “Sis, just act natural. Natural shots look best. The way you usually look at big brother, just look over the same way later.”

The little girl sounded like an old hand at this.

Bai Qingxia nodded lightly, one hand tightly wrapped around the hanging pole.

Another turn went by.

Lu Yuanqiu hurriedly lifted the camera and pressed the shutter on the two of them as they appeared in the same frame.

Click.

The image froze. In the photo, Bai Qingxia sat upright, smiling shyly toward the lens, while Lu Yidong beside her tilted her head, closed one eye, and made a cute peace sign.

After it ended, the two walked out together. Su Xiaoya shook the two remaining tickets in her hand.

“Anyone else want a ride? I’m not getting on that thing.”

Bai Qingxia shook her head, and Lu Yidong also waved her hand. “A second ride would be boring.”

Su Xiaoya said, “Then we can’t just waste them.”

Bai Qingxia looked at Lu Yuanqiu.

Su Xiaoya also looked at Lu Tian.

Lu Tian froze, then pointed at himself in disbelief. “What? You want me, a grown man, to ride that thing?”

Lu Yuanqiu hugged the camera and drew back his neck in disgust. “Too childish. I stopped touching those things when I was five.”

The scene changed.

Lu Tian and Lu Yuanqiu, father and son, each rode a “warhorse.” One laughed like a child, while the other wore a stern expression and pointed ahead, like a young general galloping across the battlefield.

Su Xiaoya and Lu Yidong’s expressions stiffened. Mortified, they turned and hurried away. “So embarrassing...”

“Don’t know him, don’t know him, not familiar, really not familiar...”

Yet Bai Qingxia stood by the railing, her posture serene, both hands hanging neatly before her as she smiled and watched the young man on the horse clown around and act silly.

It seemed Lu Yuanqiu was putting on a show just for her.

The next second, Lu Yidong reached out and dragged Bai Qingxia out of the frame. “Sis, you actually don’t think he’s embarrassing!”

After the carousel, the group arrived beside the pirate ship. Lu Tian awkwardly raised his right hand to cover his face and quietly asked his son, “Um... was I laughing really loudly just now?”

Lu Yuanqiu shook his head. “Not sure. I was busy whipping the horse’s backside, so I didn’t hear.”

Su Xiaoya went to buy more tickets and came back, this time with only three. She knew her husband had acrophobia, and she no longer dared let that big baby touch any amusement ride meant for children.

Bai Qingxia stole a sidelong glance at the price on the ticket booth, and immediately a snap sounded beside her head.

Lu Yuanqiu said, “Why are you sneaking looks again?!”

“No! No... I wasn’t.” The girl hurriedly denied it and hid behind Lu Yidong.

She did not want her face pinched by Lu Yuanqiu again.

After lining up and boarding the pirate ship, Lu Yuanqiu said, “If you’re riding this, you have to sit in the back. Otherwise it’s no fun.”

Lu Yidong’s eyes lost all their light. “No.”

“Suit yourself. Then sit in the middle alone.” After speaking, Lu Yuanqiu grabbed Bai Qingxia’s soft arm and led her to sit in the back row.

Lu Yidong pouted in grievance, then hardened her heart and quickly ran to the back row to sit beside her brother. Once seated, she immediately clung to his arm like a little bird seeking shelter.

Bai Qingxia had never ridden this before, and did not understand why these siblings had such strict ideas about seating.

When the bar came down, the pirate ship started.

The boat swayed. Bai Qingxia reached out with both hands to grip the bar in front of her, a fresh, delighted smile spreading across her face, while Lu Yuanqiu only smiled without speaking.

Sure enough, after more than ten seconds, the smile on the girl’s face vanished.

She gripped the bar tightly, her body inching quietly closer to Lu Yuanqiu.

After another ten seconds or so, Lu Yuanqiu let out a strange cry as the tail of the pirate ship lifted higher and higher. Bai Qingxia panicked. Her eyelashes trembled, and at the very moment they dropped, she quickly lowered her head, closed her eyes, and gripped Lu Yuanqiu’s arm with all her strength.