Chapter 204

Chapter 204: The Ferris Wheel and the Bold Golden Retriever

The moonlight and the lights spread out, and the distant Ferris wheel turns quietly.

The little idols looked at the skating rink scene, and for a moment, they were greatly shocked.

Tang Liuli acted differently from usual, as if she had thrown away her social anxiety, becoming not only very sociable but also showing an incredibly skilled roller skating technique. She guided Pure White Witch hand in hand, like a young lady hosting a ball, demonstrating a graceful dance with both difficulty and beauty.

The levels of figure skating moves are graded A, B, C, D, E, F.

This former child star showcased a Grade A difficulty swan spin right at the beginning.

After that, things went out of control, as she pulled Chu Yuanqing around the skating rink, seamlessly mixing in various difficult moves as if they were performing a spontaneous dance full of spirit.

If they didn’t know Tang Liuli’s past as an actress, and now a vocal trainee idol, they would probably think she was a professional roller skating enthusiast.

At that moment, the onlookers around were amazed.

Especially the two girls who lent the roller skates, who couldn’t help but take their phones out to record for a while. They were clearly surprised that such a pretty girl with a slightly flushed face and dreamy green eyes could put on such a performance.

Chu Wang Shu sighed:

"Liuli is amazing. I used to think her only hobby was playing video games."

Xie Qingxuan thought for a moment and guessed:

"Liuli was a professional actress before, and her long break probably means she had some personal issues. You can see her current personality and how she handles things."

"But during the years she wasn’t acting, her family probably still encouraged her to continue on the path of an actress, so it makes sense she would want to improve other skills besides acting."

It is well known that professional international stars are often very tough.

When Tom Cruise filmed the "Mission: Impossible" series, he not only jumped out of planes for real but also did it without a safety harness, and he spent 2000 hours learning to become a professional helicopter pilot.

Although not many international stars go to such extreme lengths, there are many examples of actors learning other skills for their roles, including but not limited to: survival skills, freediving, figure skating, tightrope walking, playing the violin with their left hand, tap dancing, combat training, knife throwing, and various languages…

You could say that depending on the role they play, many stars will work hard to specialize, aiming to match the skill level of their character for the best screen effect.

So, if Liuli originally planned to deepen her studies on this path, it makes sense to start early and learn more skills.

Xie Qingxuan continued:

"I guess singing and roller-skating are just two of them."

"Didn’t Liuli also say she could fly a plane and parachute? Now I think that might actually be true."

Chu Wang Shu gasped for a moment; she felt she had worked hard.

But compared to Liuli, her effort seemed so small.

This was the first time she truly realized the gap between herself and those around her. Her childhood idol was really amazing. During the days when she faded away and didn’t appear on screen, she might have been working hard in places unseen, all to shine on a bigger stage.

But if that’s the case, why would Liuli choose to become an idol?

Chu Wang Shu remembered the first time she saw her, with her dark and lonely eyes, and suddenly felt there were many stories behind them. Perhaps… when Liuli was drunk and free of burdens, she was closer to the brilliant child star from before.

After Kirimi Miyuki listened to the golden retriever’s imagination, her mind started to wander.

Little Sakura even began to doubt whether Liuli’s character flaws came from jumping out of a plane, because just by looking at past interviews and photos, it was clear that she seemed like a completely different person.

If the current socially anxious cat’s threat level is one star, and the drunk Liuli Cat’s threat level is four stars, then the past Tang Liuli must have been at least seven stars.

Kirimi Miyuki said seriously:

"Liuli might have learned too much and collapsed under other people’s expectations. When she first participated in ‘Dazzling Stage,’ she felt like a little hedgehog, and only later did she slowly improve."

Chu Wang Shu completely agreed. She began to understand why Liuli slept so much, almost wanting to sleep for ten hours a day. This must be because she had worked so hard in the past that she couldn’t sleep, and now her excessive sleeping was a way of compensating, which deserved understanding.

In response, kind Little Sakura made a suggestion:

"Let’s be a bit nicer to Liuli from now on. She seems to really need love."

If Tang Liuli were awake to see this scene, she would surely feel very frustrated. Even though she was at the top of her game, none of her rivals felt jealous or angry; instead, they even felt sympathy for her. It was a kind of sadness where winning felt like losing.

Little Sakura said, while lovingly filming a video, that this part definitely had to go into the vlog, and she even had ideas for the background music for the frames where Tang Liuli the swan turned.

It was clear that after the three of them changed clothes, she had developed a strong immunity against worries that Honey Qing might be taken advantage of by other rivals.

Meanwhile, at the roller skating rink.

Pure White Witch began to adapt to the rhythm of skating on wheels. From being completely led by Tang Liuli at first, she now followed along skillfully and could actively join in on tricks, showing impressive balance and athletic skills.

"Little Qing, you are learning so fast!"

Tang Liuli seemed a bit tired from skating; she wrapped her arm around Pure White Witch’s neck, leaning against her playfully. Her eyes sparkled with laughter, glistening with tears, and her soft pink lips were close together, slightly parted, releasing a sweet scent of mint and soda.

Chu Yuanqing, worried that she might fall, quickly hugged her delicate waist. She listened to the faint, hurried breath of the little idol after exercising, which sounded a bit flirtatious, and with a serious yet caring tone, she said:

"Liuli, you shouldn’t exercise strenuously after drinking; it can give you a headache."

The green-eyed cat moved even closer after hearing this. She quietly peeked outside and saw no one was paying attention. Quickly, she gave Pure White Witch a kiss on the cheek and happily shared:

"Little Qing, Little Qing, the lip balm I used today tastes like pear."

Chu Yuanqing was startled. She nervously looked back, realizing that no one could see from that angle, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief. She quickly used one free hand to tap Tang Liuli’s restless lips with her fingertip and said,

"Not allowed to kiss outside!"

Tang Liuli’s small face became serious, as if making a solemn promise. She said earnestly,

"Then we will kiss again when we go back."

Chu Yuanqing looked at the child being so obedient and felt relieved.

Just at that moment, when the Pure White Witch was not paying attention,

Tang Liuli almost immediately got up from the Pure White Witch’s arms. She took hold of the soft little hand and slid back with a gentle force, bringing their faces even closer.

In the next second, their lips deliberately met in a soft place, making a squishy sound and sharing the taste of pear.

The girl’s kiss was quick, and the corners of her eyes lifted slightly. Her pupils shimmered with a charm that was not there when she was awake. The curve of her lips lifted into a smile that showed her successful trick, as if playfully saying, "You’ve been fooled by me," sly and cute.

Chu Yuanqing was dazed for a moment, then her thoughts drifted back to the day of her first stolen kiss. She had to admit that Liuli had the potential to be a little devil when she was not shy or frightened, leaving her somewhat at a loss with the other person.

There was nothing she could do. Since it didn’t involve any important principles, she couldn’t be mean to Tang Liuli and could only helplessly follow her as they continued to glide forward.

But who would have thought that the other person would let go of her hand halfway through?

Tang Liuli rose on her tiptoes again, spinning gracefully on one skateboard. After turning a few times, she happily glanced back, her smile still bright, and said:

"Little Qing, you stay here. I’m going to ride the Ferris wheel."

The Ferris wheel?

Chu Yuanqing looked up at the towering structure in the sky. She thought seriously and realized that Liuli was definitely drunk; there was no way anyone could skate up to that height, right?

At that moment, the girl had already glided into a distant, sunken area. At the end of the area was a bowl-shaped finish line, which looked like a winding pipeline from afar, designed specifically for roller skating, BMX, and skateboarding.

Because there were not many skilled people around, Tang Liuli, who had just shown her figure skating skills, drew a lot of attention as soon as she entered the arena.

The sunken, curved ground made it very hard to control the roller skates.

As soon as Tang Liuli entered, her speed seemed to change from walking to racing. She glided straight to the wall, as if she were about to fly out of the arena. Her hair flowed in the wind like a spirit taming a wild beast. She spun on the tips of her skates, managing to turn and head towards the finish line.

The girl skillfully rode the smooth, flowing momentum at a fast speed, effortlessly skating on the curved wall like walking on a roof. She traced beautiful circles and then quickly rushed down, gliding freely on the track, showing none of her previous timid self, looking quite impressive.

Little Sakura watched from a distance, feeling terrified and very worried.

Why is this cat’s "drunken antics" so frightening?

No matter how you look at it, it feels extremely dangerous! She was using borrowed roller skates, didn’t wear any protective gear, and was even drunk. If anything goes wrong, not only would dancing become a problem, but even walking might be difficult, let alone participating in three performances.

Chu Yuanqing had the same thoughts. Although she could use magic threads to ensure Tang Liuli’s safety, there were so many bystanders around that using them would definitely expose the fact that Dream Weaver Rabbit had control over magic.

If that’s the case, how can she pretend to be clueless in front of the officials?

So, the Pure White Witch almost didn’t think twice and glided into the bowl-shaped area, following Tang Liuli and skating closely along the wall, acting as her guard to prevent any accidents.

To the onlookers, this scene looked like two stunningly beautiful sisters playing a chasing game on roller skates, skillfully weaving around each other, making it a delightful and amusing sight.

Tang Liuli didn’t let Chu Yuanqing chase for too long; ten seconds after entering, she glided back to the bowl-shaped wall, her roller skates carving graceful arcs as she used her weight and momentum to gain extra speed.

As the girl reached the edge of the wall and was about to fly out of the area, she suddenly pushed off with great force, performing a full spin in mid-air and landing lightly outside the field, naturally gliding in a circle before returning to the area.

This smooth and stylish move took only 9 seconds, and its flowing beauty caught the attention of a large crowd, leading to even more filming.

Chu Yuanqing copied Tang Liuli, using a similar motion to leap back outside; she suddenly understood what "playing on the Ferris wheel" meant—it was just spinning in the air, imagining herself as the Ferris wheel!

The green-eyed cat is playing a very new kind of Ferris wheel.

In fact, she cherished the moment of spinning in the air even more.

In those few frames, the moon and the upside-down Ferris wheel looked especially magical, mixed with the evening breeze of the Danube, the chatter of passersby, the excitement of a racing heartbeat, and the joy of having someone special nearby, all creating a mesmerizing experience.

Fortunately, Tang Liuli was still sensible. After playing for a few rounds and feeling even dizzier, she obediently listened to the Pure White Witch and returned the borrowed roller skates to a passerby.

Well, because they were so skilled, both of them got back their 100 euros, and casually asked Tang Liuli and Chu Yuanqing for a group photo, as if to cherish this brief connection.

After taking the photo, the green-eyed cat returned to the group, feeling the night breeze as everyone talked, and sleepily walked towards the hotel.

But soon, the girl became confused, leaning between Chu Yuanqing and Chu Wang Shu, needing their support to get back to her room, and once she touched the bed, she almost fell asleep right away.

Chu Yuanqing wiped Tang Liuli’s face with a warm towel, helped the sleepy girl change into her pajamas, tucked her in, and told her a few bedtime stories to make sure she fell asleep quietly before leaving.

In the living room, the four of them sat together.

Chu Wang Shu said with a bit of regret:

"What a pity, it’s only a little past nine. I still want to play board games with Liuli. She told me yesterday that she is super good at Werewolf."

But even though she said that,

Chu Yuanqing noticed that her daughter was getting a bit sleepy. She was sitting here, excited to play, but she would probably soon droop her eyelids and couldn’t help but fall asleep.

Chu Yuanqing gently patted her lovely daughter’s head and said,

"There’s no rush; we have many days ahead. For today, let’s just sleep. Tomorrow we will go out to play together, and we need to have enough energy and spirit."

Chu Wang Shu thought this made a lot of sense. She enjoyed the soft touch of her mother’s fingertips for a moment before standing up to say she was going to wash up and sleep.

Kirimi Miyuki thought for a moment, then picked up her camera and walked back to her room. She imported all the video data into her computer and started to edit the videos she shot today. She was surprised to find she had collected quite a bit of usable footage in just one day.

For example, Chu Yuanqing chatting with the contestants from the Vienna division, and her being given flowers by a group of about thirty people on the street.

Besides that, there were also scenes from her perspective of picking gifts and moments when they stuffed gifts into Chu Yuanqing’s arms together with their little idol. Finally, there were clips of training, evening strolls, meals, chatting, and the surprising antics of the green-eyed cat after getting drunk.

All these bits and pieces added up to about an hour.

At first glance, it didn’t look like much, but after reviewing everything, she realized today was indeed surprisingly fulfilling.

Kirimi Miyuki felt a bit excited and murmured to herself:

"A three-hour vlog isn’t very hard, right? At this speed, maybe I can finish it in two or three days? But later, I need to send this rough footage to Sister Chen and ask her to help me edit it a bit more."

Little Sakura made a decision, organized the files in her notebook, and looked over the drawings she hadn’t torn off today. She was lost in thought for a long time and then, as if guided by fate, she picked up Levatin’s drawing.

"One more paper crane is still needed."

The girl thought for a moment, followed her heart’s intuition, and with a sincere and serious attitude, she began to fold the thousand paper cranes.

Strangely, this time the process of folding the paper cranes was different from before.

With each fold, Kirimi Miyuki could hear the sound of steel clashing by her ears; she was wrapped in a furnace-like warmth, and the emotions around her surged like blooming cherry blossoms, flowing into the paper of the drawing through her fingertips.

After ten minutes, one paper crane was slowly folded.

Little Sakura looked at her work in confusion, realizing it seemed no different from the others. She thought for a long time, and when sleepiness took over, she put it into the jar, filling the missing 1 out of 999.

"Let’s talk about it tomorrow."

Kirimi Miyuki yawned; her eyelids drooped. The energy she had before seemed to be swallowed by tiredness. Even the thought of a night mission had to be put aside for now. She forced herself to wash up and then went to bed.

The container filled with a thousand origami cranes shone with a few brilliant rays of light in the unknown night, creating a touch of mysterious colors, before gradually returning to normal, looking quite ordinary.

…

…

Meanwhile, in the next room.

Chu Yuanqing finished her shower, put on soft, loose pajamas, and sat quietly on the edge of the bed. Today, she had her first conversation with the new era’s Charlotte and unexpectedly discovered that her teammate was one of the forgotten old friends.

To be honest, even now, her emotions hadn’t settled down.

"What kind of attitude should I take to face you all?"

Chu Yuanqing has only four months left.

If she doesn’t want them to get hurt, the best way is to keep everything unspoken until the end, maintaining their relationship as it is until death.

On the other hand, she has finally, little by little, found herself again after 17 years, and with the help of the witch’s transformation, she has revived all her emotions as a human.

In other words, unlike 17 years ago, she can now give the answers she couldn’t provide back then.

From Charlotte’s point of view, awakening the other person’s memories and saying "I love you" sincerely before leaving would be a better ending.

Chu Yuanqing sighed sadly, and her phone on the bedside table vibrated a few times.

She picked it up and, as fate would have it, it was a message from Charlotte.

This saintess of the Sacred United Country generously sent a few photos that she hadn’t posted on social media, mostly of scenery and delicious food, with no selfies; only her delicate, white hand appeared. She ended with a cute goodnight message decorated with emoticons.

Chu Yuanqing’s little face was serious as she began to worry about how to respond to gain more affection.

Just then, there was a loud knock at the door.

Soon after, a golden retriever quietly opened the door to deliver a gift.