NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 74 - Secretly bought
Meng Yao’er finally got her wish and sat in the cat-themed car. However, the mood turned icy after Su QingYao casually remarked earlier, “I don’t like cats anymore.” The two remained silent as they drove through the aquarium.
The aquarium was vast, divided into multiple routes and viewing zones. Walking one route to its endpoint alone took three and a half hours, and covering the entire place in a day was nearly impossible, making the use of a transport car quite essential.
As they were filming a program, aimless wandering was out of the question. To save time, it was agreed upon to stick to one route until completion.
Schools of fish swam past the glass walls, frolicking in the water. They seemed accustomed to the presence of humans behind the glass domes—neither colliding with the barriers nor fleeing in fear.
Bioluminescent sea creatures floated gracefully, shimmering in clusters, their movements dreamlike and mesmerizing.
Tang Yuan pointed at a jellyfish gliding toward the glass wall and lowered her voice as if afraid to startle it. “Look, glowing jellyfish.”
Jiang Zi tapped the spot on the glass where the jellyfish lingered. The creature didn’t drift away.
Jiang Zi commented candidly, “The soundproofing is impressive.”
Tang Yuan: “…”
“Hello, do you need a shell?” A staff member in a red vest approached them.
Tang Yuan nodded. “Sure.”
The staff member opened a crossbody bag with five compartments, each labeled with the names of the groups. From the compartment labeled “Tang Yuan ≈ Jiang Zi,” she pulled out a card.
“Please have Jiang Zi and Tang Yuan share a secret about themselves that the other doesn’t know.”
These questions were crowd-sourced by the program team through their official blog, contributed by enthusiastic fans.
“A secret, huh? We don’t really have secrets, do we?” Tang Yuan glanced at Jiang Zi, then nervously looked away.
[That’s not true. There are so many things sister doesn’t know. I can just pick one random thing to say. No way I’m revealing something like the main mission, especially in front of everyone.]
[No, wait. I can’t even mention the mission in front of her.]
[Absolutely not. The mission is a no-go. Take it to the grave!]
“Actually, I secretly bought some things that little Tang Yuan doesn’t know about,” Jiang Zi suddenly spoke, cutting off Tang Yuan’s train of thought.
Tang Yuan instinctively asked, “What did you buy?”
Jiang Zi’s pitch-black eyes shimmered with an enigmatic gleam. She ruffled Tang Yuan’s hair and smiled faintly. “You won’t like it, so I won’t tell you for now.”
When you find out, you’ll have no way to escape.
Tang Yuan let out an exasperated sigh and turned to the staff member. “Is that even allowed? She didn’t explicitly say what she’s hiding!”
The staff replied, “She already answered—she secretly bought some things.”
Tang Yuan’s mouth twitched. So that counts?
“Then I’ll say something too. I also secretly order something behind Jiang Zi’s back, and she doesn’t know yet.”
Jiang Zi’s expression froze. Her hand, which was looped around Tang Yuan’s arm, tightened reflexively. As a thought crossed her mind, her breathing hitched, and the tips of her ears inexplicably turned red.
Tang Yuan didn’t notice Jiang Zi’s odd reaction. She turned to the staff. “Does that count as completing the task?”
She assumed such a casual response wouldn’t suffice, but the staff handed over the shell without hesitation.
Tang Yuan inspected the white shell she’d just received and muttered, “That was way too easy.”
She tossed the shell into the small bamboo basket in the car. “Let’s go, let’s go. What are you standing around for?”
Jiang Zi silently returned to the passenger seat, but her gaze burned into Tang Yuan, impossible to ignore.
Tang Yuan could only look back at her. “What’s up? Do you want to know what I got you?”
Jiang Zi was silent for a moment, as if regaining composure. She shook her head. “No need. Whatever you give me, I’ll like.”
Tang Yuan clicked her tongue, drumming her finger on the steering wheel. “Well, I like whatever you give me too. Why were you so certain earlier that I wouldn’t like it?”
Jiang Zi’s expression grew complicated. She eventually looked straight ahead. “You’ll understand when you see it. You won’t like it.”
Tang Yuan laughed and teased her, “What if I happened to buy the same thing you did and gave it to you as a gift? Would you like it then?”
Jiang Zi’s ears flushed red again. Her breathing quickened, excitement barely contained in her eyes. “I’d love it.”
Tang Yuan: “…”
Unreasonable.
How could Jiang Zi like something herself but assume she wouldn’t?
Tang Yuan’s curiosity about what Jiang Zi had bought grew even stronger.
【Did anyone figure out why Jiang Zi got so excited? Hahaha!】
【No idea. Why does she think Tang Yuan wouldn’t like it?】
【Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Just enjoy the show.】
【After observing Jiang Zi for days, I’ve concluded she’s not a serious person around her wifey. What thing could she have bought?】
【The sad part is, once the show ends, we’ll never know what it was!】
【Actually, Jiang Zi has a side business. Try checking her livestream.】
Jiang Zi, meanwhile, had overheard Tang Yuan’s thoughts. Naturally, she decided Tang Yuan must never find out she could read her mind.
So, she picked the most trivial secret to get by.
Two dolphins frolicked in the water, nearing the glass wall. Spotting the two humans in the car, the dolphins mischievously opened their mouths wide, pretending to scare them.
Tang Yuan, sitting closer to the glass, suddenly found herself face-to-face with a dolphin’s throat.
“I want to toss a fish in there.”
“Too bad this isn’t an interactive aquarium.”
Jiang Zi pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of Tang Yuan and the wide-mouthed dolphin. “After the show, let’s visit one.”
Tang Yuan turned to her curiously. “Do you have any place you really want to go? Or something you really want to do?”
【There are still about twenty days left in the mission. If something unexpected happens, I don’t want to leave any regrets.】
【I have terrible luck. As much as I hate to think about it, there is still danger in the mission.】
【For now, I just want to spend time with sister. If I fail, she’ll go back to Chu Yu. As for me…well, I can’t see, so I won’t be jealous anymore..】
Jiang Zi raised her hand, covering Tang Yuan’s eyes, and kissed her hard. The intensity felt almost punishing.
She didn’t want to see such emotions in Tang Yuan’s eyes. Her thoughts left her unsettled and uneasy.
What mission could it be? No matter what, Jiang Zi wouldn’t allow Tang Yuan to be taken away.
Her mind grew darker, her gaze like a bottomless whirlpool.
Another mission involving Chu Yu.
Wasn’t the main mission supposed to be capturing her heart? Why did Chu Yu keep showing up?
Chu Yu’s such a nuisance. Why can’t he just die?
Her kiss pressed Tang Yuan down, as turbulent and overwhelming as the sea, leaving her lost and drowning without a sense of direction.