Time flew by, and soon it was Wednesday.
"Exams are over!"
Xia Shan emerged from the examination hall, practically dancing with joy. When he ran into Jiang Wei, he even gave him an excited hug.
The smile on Tang Zihe’s face vanished instantly.
"Has this guy finally lost his mind from testing?" Jiang Wei rubbed his neck. Xia Shan’s momentum just now had been so forceful he almost thought he heard his bones creak.
"Since Thursday and Friday are holidays after the exams," Shen Yannan and the others said as they walked over from Hall 5, "it’s a rare chance for everyone to be free. We should all go out and get together."
"Oh," Jiang Wei nodded, understanding. He turned to Tang Zihe. "Then don't we have to go back to the dorms today to pack our things?"
Tang Zihe nodded.
*If I’d known, I wouldn't have unpacked my suitcase,* Jiang Wei sighed inwardly. Having to pack it all back up now was a massive hassle.
Sure enough, before they even reached their classroom, they could hear the shouts and cheers of their classmates. It was as if stones of all sizes had been hurled into a long-still pond, sending the water into a violent churn.
Among them, Xia Shan’s voice was the most prominent.
"It’s a rare opportunity! Forget looking at scenery—let’s go to the amusement park! The big one on the east side of the city!"
"That makes sense! I haven't been there in forever. The last time was back in middle school!"
"Well, that was a lifetime ago."
"Count me in if the tickets aren't too expensive. I’ve always wanted to go."
"Me too! Who knows if I’ll still be 'alive' after the results come out? I need to enjoy myself while I can."
...
Jiang Wei suddenly felt surrounded by a colony of chattering marmots.
He had originally thought it would just be a gathering for their small group, but he hadn't expected the invitation list to expand to the entire class. There were still several people he wasn't very familiar with. Wouldn't it be a bit awkward to go out together?
Tang Zihe looked down at him, seemingly reading his concerns. "At most, we’ll just gather in the morning to take a head count," he said. "Once we’re inside, everyone will just stick to their own small groups anyway."
Jiang Wei looked up at him, offering a small smile without saying anything.
"I’ll start a group chat then. We’ll set the time for tomorrow—all day! Anyone who can come, just scan the QR code I’m putting in the group to join," Xia Shan continued to shout. At the very least, the time and place were settled; they just had to wait until evening to finalize the numbers.
"Finally, I can catch my breath and rest for two days," Tang Wanbai sighed, leaning against Yang Xiangtong. "I’m exhausted."
"This is only the midterm of the first semester. You still have a semester and a half of exhaustion left," Yang Xiangtong said, patting her head in consolation. "Hang in there."
"I’m begging you, don't remind me of that cruel reality."
Jiang Wei glanced over at them.
Half a semester had already passed... which meant that day was drawing closer and closer.
Tang Zihe noticed Jiang Wei’s expression suddenly turn serious, his gaze turning distant. He couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"
Jiang Wei snapped back to reality and simply shook his head, indicating it was nothing.
After a round of heated discussion, the final bell rang right on time. Everyone said their goodbyes—those heading to the dorms went to the dorms, and those heading home went home—all preparing for tomorrow’s outing.
Jiang Wei still had "nowhere to go," so he followed Tang Zihe back to his house.
Ms. Tang had once again prepared a table full of delicious food, though this time her reasoning was: "The exams are over, you need to eat well to replenish all that spent energy."
"How did you do?" Ms. Tang rarely chose to chat with them at the dinner table—likely because Mr. Tang was away on a business trip.
Jiang Wei glanced at Tang Zihe.
"It was fine," Tang Zihe replied with a lukewarm, dismissive tone.
" I wasn't asking you," Ms. Tang said, seemingly rolling her eyes inwardly. She turned to Jiang Wei with a beaming smile. "How did you do?"
"Pretty well." Jiang Wei didn't act shy, giving Ms. Tang a sweet smile.
"That’s good." Ms. Tang studied Jiang Wei for a moment, saying with concern, "It’s only been a few days, but you already have dark circles under your eyes. Being a senior in high school is just too tiring nowadays."
"I do?" Jiang Wei instinctively touched his eyes, then looked at Tang Zihe beside him. "What are you laughing at? You have them too."
This was a complete lie. Tang Zihe basically went to bed by midnight every night and never had to worry about difficult problems. He had virtually nothing to fret over, so there was no way he had dark circles.
Ms. Tang sat to the side, smiling without exposing the lie.
"I do?" Tang Zihe was actually fooled for a few seconds. It was only when he caught the look on Jiang Wei’s face that he realized. "You think you can trick me with that?"
*Huh?* Jiang Wei was a bit surprised. He felt like he hadn't let any flaws show in his expression; how had this guy figured it out?
After dinner, Ms. Tang went to her room to apply a facial mask, leaving the two boys to clear the table and put everything in the kitchen. Someone would come to clean it properly the next day.
A while later, after they finished tidying up, Jiang Wei and Tang Zihe retreated to their respective rooms to rush through their homework—even though there was significantly less than last week, the amount was still not to be underestimated.
When it was finally time for bed, Jiang Wei took a comfortable shower and walked out of his room, drying his hair with a towel.
He had only intended to go downstairs for a drink of water because he was thirsty, but before he even reached the kitchen door, he heard movement inside.
Tang Zihe was inside pouring himself some milk. Seeing Jiang Wei at the door, he wasn't particularly surprised. He set the milk carton down and asked, "Want some?"
"If you can't finish it, pour half for me." Jiang Wei wiped a stray droplet of water from his forehead. He watched as Tang Zihe took out a fresh glass, poured the rest into it—exactly half a glass—and handed it over.
"You’ll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair properly."
Jiang Wei took a large gulp before replying, "I know."
He draped the towel over his shoulders and smiled, clinking his glass against the other’s with a crisp *clink*. "Get some rest."
Tang Zihe paused for a moment, then smiled as well. "Sweet dreams."
***
Ms. Tang dropped the two of them off at the entrance of the City East Amusement Park.
"Don't stay out too late tonight," Ms. Tang instructed from the car. Likely feeling that two Alpha boys weren't in much danger out and about, she added, "Remember to take a taxi back yourselves."
"Yeah, we know." Tang Zihe opened the door and stepped out.
Jiang Wei followed close behind. As soon as he got out, he saw someone waving and running toward them from a distance.
"Brother Tang! Brother Jiang! You guys are so early!"
Jiang Wei high-fived Xia Shan and laughed. "Aren't you even earlier?"
This feeling was entirely novel to him. He had never had so many friends around him before, let alone everyone going out for a full day together.
"I’m the organizer! If I were late, they’d scold me to death." Xia Shan led them to a nearby pavilion where some people were already sitting.
"Hi~" Shen Yannan had a glass of juice in front of him. Sitting beside him was someone busy sending messages on a phone.
Tang Zihe greeted both of them.
"Don't you know that bringing a plus-one on a group outing causes psychological damage to your partners?" Jiang Wei said with a mock pout as he sat across from them.
"Can I make it up to you with material goods?" Shen Yannan seemed to be in a great mood. "I’ll buy you an orange juice."
Jiang Wei didn't plan on being polite. "Deal."
Perhaps because this opportunity was so rare, Jiang Wei and the others had waited less than ten minutes—before he’d even finished his orange juice—when everyone else arrived one after another.
The girls had all put on light makeup today, looking even more radiant and stunning than their usual bare-faced selves.
"Looking good." Jiang Wei gave Tang Wanbai a thumbs-up, providing an answer that clearly satisfied her.
"Everyone’s here, let’s head in!" Xia Shan acted like a perfectly competent tour guide. With a wave of his arm, the "Golden Age Senior Tour Group" behind him marched toward the ticket booth in a grand procession.
Once inside the park, just as Tang Zihe had predicted, everyone naturally drifted apart based on their preferences, forming small groups of three to five, or simply going off on their own.
The eight of them, however, stayed together to discuss which attraction to hit first.
It was only a little after nine in the morning and not a holiday, so the park wasn't very crowded. There were no lines for anything, so they didn't have to worry about the "time cost" when choosing. Consequently, a situation arose that Jiang Wei had never anticipated—
"So, why is the first attraction the Haunted House?"
"Actually, right now is the safest time to do the Haunted House," Xia Shan said, pointing to its location on the map. "It’s close by, and by the time we come out, the sun will still be high in the sky. It’s less likely to leave a psychological shadow."
It had to be said, there seemed to be some logic to it. Jiang Wei actually found himself somewhat convinced by Xia Shan’s twisted reasoning.
In the end, even a girl like Tang Wanbai, who looked like she should be the most afraid of ghosts, had no objections. Naturally, the group decided to head for the Haunted House.
When they reached the entrance, Tang Zihe noticed a flicker of resistance on Jiang Wei’s face as he looked at the decor and the pitch-black tunnel.
But he remembered that Jiang Wei wasn't afraid of such things.
"Since when did you become afraid of ghosts?" he asked, feigning nonchalance.
Jiang Wei shook his head and forced a smile. "Who said that? I’m not afraid."
Tang Zihe raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing that answer.
"You, on the other hand—don't go getting scared in there." Jiang Wei, likely assuming Tang Zihe’s question carried a hint of mockery, naturally fired back.
"They need ten people to go in at once," Xia Shan said, returning after a minute of talking to the staff. "There just happen to be two girls about our age in front of us, probably from another school. Should we just go together?"
His gaze swept across everyone’s faces. Lu Zisheng seemed to defer entirely to Shen Yannan’s opinion. Shen Yannan thought for a moment, and seeing that the two girls, Tang Wanbai and Yang Xiangtong, had no objections, he nodded in agreement.
And so, with Xia Shan leading the charge and Shen Yannan and Lu Zisheng bringing up the rear, the group marched into the Haunted House.
***
