48. Dommy, Dommy!
“Phew~”
Ling Ning looked at the “Under Maintenance” sign in front of her and exhaled deeply in relief. It was a ride even more thrilling than the “Snow Eagle” she’d just been on, but fortunately, it was under maintenance today, sparing her from another ordeal.
“Aw~ Why’s it under maintenance?” Ling Ye complained, clearly dissatisfied.
“Probably because there aren’t too many guests today. It’d make no sense for an amusement park to maintain rides on a busy holiday, right?” Ling Ning explained.
With that, she pulled the two little ones—both turning their heads longingly with each step—away from the area, deciding to take them to try something more mellow like the carousel or bumper cars.
As they walked, however, Ling Ye spotted an attraction called the “Spooky Park,” which, in simpler terms, was just a haunted house.
This kind of attraction didn’t bother Ling Ning at all. As a staunch atheist, she found it impossible to be frightened by something meant to scare children.
So, without hesitation, she agreed to her daughter’s request, taking them into the so-called “Spooky Park.” As soon as they stepped inside, a chilling voice—neither fully masculine nor feminine—echoed, “Welcome to Spooky Park.”
Qin Sirou, who was a bit timid, jumped at the sound, but quickly composed herself. She had Ling Ye by her side, after all, and she couldn’t afford to lose face in front of her friend. Her little face tensed up, making her look adorably stiff.
Though the voice had an eerie vibe, the inside was disappointingly underwhelming. Even Qin Sirou, who had been tense at the entrance, lost her fear and began exploring the place curiously with Ling Ye.
The set pieces and props were laughably fake, but the staff members were certainly dedicated, with excellent makeup effects. Ling Ning even felt like asking one of them where she got her contacts—they looked incredibly realistic. Even that mournful expression gave Ling Ning a genuine scare, despite not being afraid of ghosts.
“Excuse me, miss, do you think there’s anything we could improve about this haunted house? If you participate in our survey, you can win a prize!” A staff member approached Ling Ning, holding a stuffed toy shaped like a tentacled creature. It must have been the prize.
As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as too many freebies. So, without hesitation, Ling Ning launched into an enthusiastic critique of the haunted house, along with some praise for the dedicated staff members.
After listening to her, the staff member looked puzzled. “Um, we don’t have any actors inside the haunted house. It’s all just props and models. You sure you didn’t imagine it, miss?”
“Huh?!”
Ling Ning froze, replaying her encounter with the “ghost” in her mind. She was certain that figure had been following her since she’d entered. There was no way it was just a prop, was there? Suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine, goosebumps prickling her skin. She left the haunted house in a hurry, pulling along the two confused kids, abandoning the tentacled plushie prize, while the bewildered staff member was left standing there, stunned.
“What’s wrong?” Ling Ye asked.
“N-nothing…” Ling Ning stammered. Sometimes, it was better to believe than to dismiss these things entirely.
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Ling Ning took out her phone to check the time—it was already midday. No wonder she was feeling hungry. She found a ramen shop by the side of the road and ordered three bowls of ramen. After paying several times the usual price, they finally got to have their lunch.
Barely finishing her meal, Ling Ning was dragged away by the two restless children. They were supposed to head to the bumper cars, but on the way, Ling Ye spotted a pendulum ride, a UFO attraction, and a flume ride, and eagerly pulled Ling Ning along to try them all.
The flume ride was the kind that involved rushing down from a great height and getting drenched. Raincoats were a must for this one, unless you wanted to be soaked.
As for raincoats, of course they didn’t bring any. At the entrance, they had to pay thirty yuan each for a disposable one—the kind that only cost a few bucks outside. After helping the two little ones put on their raincoats, they climbed aboard the boat, swaying gently for what felt like ages before finally reaching the peak. From there, it was a near-vertical descent, sending a massive spray of water into the air.
Ling Ning closed her eyes, clutching her hood, managing to avoid most of the water. However, just as she took off her hood, she got splashed—right in the face.
It turned out that someone at a nearby water cannon, after feeding it a few coins, had taken aim and fired at the riders below.
Wiping her face in annoyance, Ling Ning muttered curses at whoever had done it. Didn’t they know that a girl’s face was off-limits for splashing?
After the flume ride, Ling Ning was pulled to the pendulum and UFO rides. The constant spinning left her feeling nauseous, and even the two little ones beside her were looking worse for wear. While they didn’t find the rides too thrilling, they were certainly unsettling—clockwise turns, then counterclockwise, spinning endlessly. Ling Ye vowed never to get on such a ride again.
“Look, Sister Ling, it looks like there’s some kind of performance over there!” Qin Sirou, with her sharp eyes, pointed to a stage not far away.
“Let’s go check it out, then.”
After resting for a bit, Ling Ning felt a lot better. Watching a performance had to be better than those death-defying rides, right?
When they arrived at the stage, a crowd had already gathered.
“The Dance Faeries are going to perform their cringey dance here. Ever since I saw their last performance, I’ve been a die-hard fan. I even took a day off just to come see them today.”
“Really? You’re a fan too? What a coincidence, so am I. My favorite part is when they say, ‘Let me dommy you!’ It’s just so cool and over-the-top!”
“Why not dance? Nothing beats dancing!”
“…”
As the audience murmured in anticipation, the Dance Faeries appeared, immediately electrifying the crowd with their outrageous moves. Thunderous cheers erupted from their fans.
“Dommy!”
“Dommy!”
“Dommy!”
“…”
It was practically a celebration.
At first, Ling Ning found the dance awkward, but as she watched longer, she felt almost mesmerized by it, as if the movements held some strange magic, urging her to join in.
The Dance Faeries’ performance was short. After a few outrageous moves, they left the stage, and about two-thirds of the crowd dispersed. Ling Ning lost interest and decided to take the two little ones to some simpler attractions.
Ling Ye and Qin Sirou had wanted to try the water activities, but Ling Ning was too exhausted to continue. Besides, she had absolutely no desire to wear a swimsuit. While swimsuits looked great on others, she’d pass on wearing one herself. So, disregarding the protests of the two young girls, she took them back to Qin Qing’s house.
And thus ended the overly drawn-out amusement park adventure.
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Author’s Note:
There should be another chapter tonight.