The heat had been relentless for days. At eight o'clock in the morning, after standing on the edge of the concrete road for five minutes, the back of his T-shirt and the underarms were almost soaked. Gu Pan had already been standing for fifteen minutes. Of the original four bottles of water in his backpack, he had already finished one.

　　Two rows of camphor trees had been newly transplanted in front of the community gate. Their benefits usually go unnoticed, but when the sun is high and the heat is scorching, their comforting presence is appreciated.

　　Gu Pan stood under one of them.

　　Beside him, under another tree, a mobile breakfast cart began to pack up.

　　The owner was a young father, accompanied by his elementary school-aged daughter. The father manned his business while the daughter did her homework on a bench nearby.

　　The little girl was petite and quiet, yet her demeanor was sharp and alert. During the busy morning hours, she would help supervise whether customers were honestly scanning the QR codes and paying the correct prices, showing a keen sense of observation.

　　The breakfast cart featured local specialties, changing with the seasons. But there was one item that was always in demand. It was a kind of hand-held rice ball. Hot glutinous rice mixed with a little pork fat was spread out, and sprinkled with sesame seeds and sugar. Then a deep-fried dough stick was broken in half and wrapped in the rice, rolled, and squeezed into shape. The finished product was oval.

　　It had a name, sticky rice with youtiao (Chinese fried dough stick).

　　But Yu Yan calls it "Sugar Fried Dough Rice." She enjoys it with soy milk. The last time she sent Gu Pan to buy breakfast, this was what she ordered.

　　Gu Pan doesn't relish the dish, but he's pleased to observe Yu Yan's animated facial expressions while she eats. Each time, Yu yan enjoys her meal, her mouth full of sugar, with a few grains of rice sticking to her cheeks. She would flash Gu Pan a blissfully satisfied smile. During these moments, her teeth would probably be covered with unsightly bits of fried dough, yet it was in this unrestrained state that her little brother, Gu Pan, could experience a smile different from her deliberately maintained poise.

　　On this sweltering morning, Gu Pan watched as the stall owner and his daughter completed their routine packing-up procedure, a task they had long since mastered. The young girl was alert and perceptive. Without betraying any emotion, she was able to clearly discern the scrutiny and contemplation of a young man from several meters away.

　　Her father signaled her to get ready. "Alright!" she responded crisply. Then, she quickly packed her school bag and swiftly climbed onto the electric tricycle.

　　Once seated on the tricycle, the young girl didn't bury her head in thought, gaze dreamily into the sky, or chat with her father, who was driving the tricycle. She lifted the half-drawn rain curtain and waved at Gu Pan.

　　Gu Pan waved back, reciprocating the young girl's mature and resolute farewell.

　　He experiences farewells, big and small, almost every day. The brief moment of the ceremony just now seemed to have mentally overwhelmed him. The young girl, who watched her father toil every day, enduring the scorching heat on a low stool, never complained. She had long observed faces full of various emotions and hurried figures, and had early given up on the luxury of being pampered. Hence, she waved to a young man who had the leisure to idle away the early morning. What she waved away, perhaps, was just a string of question marks.

　　The sound of brakes. A car stopped twenty meters ahead of him. It moved backward slowly as if waking up from a drunken stupor until it reached Gu Pan. "Hey, Gu!"

　　Without being prompted, Gu Pan wouldn't have realized that the black car that had rushed past him and then returned was the one meant to pick him up. Moreover, the driver was the usually punctual and meticulous Mr. Su.

　　The car window rolled down, and the golden-rimmed glasses glinted in the light. "Get in!"

　　"Okay." Gu Pan tilted his head back to finish the remainder of his second bottle of water. With a flick of his wrist, the empty bottle landed in the trash bin two meters away. "I'm coming!"

　　Su Chiyuan handed a bottle of ice water to Gu Pan, who was still comfortably seated in the back seat. His nose glistened with sweat from the rush, though his anxiousness wasn't easily revealed. He smiled slightly and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting. The kid was being fussy, and took a while to soothe. My apologies!"

　　"It wasn't a long wait." In the blink of an eye, Gu Pan's half-finished bottle of ice water became shallower.

　　"I almost missed the turn just now. Huh? I remember you waiting on the other side of the main gate last time. Why the change of location today?"

　　"Oh? Really? Oh, I left early and decided to take a stroll and exit through another small gate... " Gu Pan's face flushed. He felt like he might be going crazy, as whenever he had free time, he would invariably find himself beneath the balcony where Ling Hanluo lived. Exiting through the small gate was just a convenient detour, and he forgot that he was putting himself on display.

　　"Why, are you feeling a bit uneasy?"

　　"No... Did you say the kid was being fussy? Is her nickname Lele?" Gu Pan "cleverly" changed the subject.

　　"Yeah! Did you guess it? That's amazing," Su Chiyuan's eyes lit up, expressing disbelief.

　　"It wasn't a guess. Have you been near the Grand Theater recently? At night."

　　"Well, yeah, I went to the Grand Theater. Took my wife and kid to see a show. She had already booked the tickets... Honestly, I wasn't that interested. Oh, so you went to see it too?"

　　"Yeah." Gu Pan didn't want to deny it, as denying would be lying. But the risk of honesty was being asked further questions, like who did he go with? However, in a moment of realization, he understood his own narrow-mindedness. Su Chiyuan wasn't some nosy busybody from the village, why would he bother asking about these trivial details?

　　"The performance was alright, quite entertaining. Just for some fun, you know?"

　　"Yeah, just for some fun." As Gu Pan spoke, he pressed the bottle of ice water against his left cheek and slightly turned his head.

　　He needed to cool down, but more importantly, he needed the plastic bottle as a shield to avoid the potential gaze that Su Chiyuan might throw at him through the rearview mirror. He remembered the roadside bench hidden by frangipani flowers that night. A man and a woman alone, especially him, acting like a timid person emboldened by alcohol, seeking a kissing experience from a girl who was equally inexperienced, under the cover of darkness. He felt ashamed. He couldn't look at Su Chiyuan because the "half-immortal" could see through him. (Note: "Half-immortal" in China refers to a person who can tell someone's inner thoughts with just one glance.)

　　"Hey, why the solemn expression? By the way, how did you know my daughter's name is Lele?"

　　"I heard you calling her that when you were educating her. Mr. Su, should a four-year-old child already be taught self-discipline?"

　　"She doesn't have to understand the meaning of 'self-discipline' in those two words, but in terms of behavior habits, parents should consciously guide them. Just like today, she was so excited to attend her best friend's birthday party. She and her mother were busy choosing clothes and shoes. She completely forgot about the two hours of piano practice in the morning. I made an agreement with her, no going unless she finishes practicing... I don't..."

　　Gu Pan could sense from Su Chiyuan's tone that he abruptly stopped himself from saying another "I don't want to." But he was willing to believe in the man's commanding presence and disciplined lifestyle. Away from the realm of the "Mind oxygen bar " he had the right to be an occasionally biased husband and father.

　　Their destination was located in the suburbs, adjacent to farmlands, embraced by verdant hills, yet utterly unrelated to the tranquility and seclusion associated with such serene settings. It was the center of high-tech, high-decibel, and high-excitement in City A. It was an ultra-large theme amusement park.

　　At the entrance, there was a queue. Su Chiyuan pulled Gu Pan in front of him. "Stand in front of me, so I can see you. I..."

　　"Because you don't want me out of your sight," Gu Pan said with a smile. His rare display of humor made Su Chiyuan reveal a grin, his teeth white against his complexion.

　　"You're very perceptive! And very clever."

　　"Just average," she replied, "Growing up, my performance in everything was mediocre. There's nothing exceptional about me."

　　"Not everyone is lucky enough to encounter something or someone worth devoting their heart to at a young age. If you stumble upon it, you're no longer ordinary. Trust me."

　　"I hope so," Gu Pan replied with a light chuckle. He believed in what Su Chiyuan had just said. Moreover, He increasingly felt that the so-called "right" person was already standing not far from her.

　　"The impending challenge is near, are you interested in giving it a try?" Su Chiyuan spread out the amusement park map, pointing at a few star attractions, "I've reserved these activities in advance, what do you think?"

　　"Mr. Su, I meant to ask you over the phone the other day, didn't you advise me against doing anything thrilling?"

　　"First, it's morning now, not bedtime. Second, I'm with you. Does that answer your question?"

　　"Alright." Gu Pan felt more excited than ever.

　　He had always seen this place, where machine noises and screams echoed, every time he traveled between his hometown and City A. From the swiftly moving bus, he had watched the roller coasters rapidly rise and fall. Those fearless warriors, who firmly believed that low-probability events were absolutely impossible, entrusted their bodies and all their mixed-up internal organs to the sky. Was it due to pessimism and determination, or optimism and fearlessness? Gu Pan couldn't know without experiencing it herself. And this wish, Su Chiyuan was about to fulfill for him.

　　What took Gu Pan by surprise was that the first stop Su Chiyuan had planned for him was the carousel in the dreamy amusement park.

　　A luxurious two-story dream carousel. Music box tunes, candy colors, dazzling lights, gleaming gold and silver on each steed... It was a place to fulfill young girls' princess dreams. Gu Pan wanted to ask why he was arranged here. But Su Chiyuan was the first to get on, making him feel like any hesitation would be a sin. Thus, he grabbed the ear of a white steed as he would the handlebar of a bicycle, and with a swing of his long legs, he got on.

　　Su Chiyuan looked at Gu Pan from behind, observing the young man's determination. A sense of satisfaction and affection unintentionally flashed in his eyes. He was glad that Gu Pan did not notice this moment.

　　They successively enjoyed several attractions. Gu Pan gradually got used to Su Chiyuan opening bottle caps for him, and to shouting aloud in his company when he lost himself in the fun. He was no longer afraid of Mr. Su seeing him grimacing, looking horrified... Any unattractive expressions that he could only show in front of the people he was most familiar with.

　　"Are you having fun, Gu?"

　　"Fun!"

　　After finishing lunch in a Thai restaurant built with floor-to-ceiling glass, Su Chiyuan led Gu Pan through the shopping area. Plush toys, decorations, bags, and various cartoon derivatives, Gu Pan was surprised to find that Mr. Su could immerse himself in these. A few times, Su Chiyuan even took pink polka-dot and green chequered headbands from the shelves, holding them up to Gu Pan's forehead to see the effect. He gazed at the mirror, a sense of satisfaction once again pouring out from his eyes. They met each other's eyes in the mirror. Gu Pan felt that this gentleman's daily life might be too heavy, with the minutiae of work and life as "dense as autumn thistles," and only extreme venting could bring relief.

　　Before the carnival parade, they rushed back to the thrill zone. "Gu, this is the ten-loop roller coaster, are you sure about this?"

　　"Weren't you saying that you'll be with me?" Gu Pan quoted the most empowering part of what he thought Su Chiyuan had said earlier.

　　"Absolutely! Well said!"

　　"Shall we go then?!" Gu Pan was somewhat impatient. After spending half a day with Su Chiyuan, he was becoming more relaxed. He felt that his clearly immature sense of humor was willingly accepted by someone, which brought him a feeling of comfort that he hadn't had for a long time or perhaps had never had before. He remembered what Su Chiyuan had said about "devoting one's heart" and "no longer being ordinary" a few hours ago. A sense of confidence, backed by the grand carnival atmosphere, rose abruptly within him. When the image of that balcony flashed through his mind again, his heart was excited.

　　That night, he found it hard to sleep. But it wasn't painful. Su Chiyuan's firm encouragement kept spinning in Gu Pan's mind.

　　In a building on the other side of the community, a room was about to be filled soon. The silhouette of a woman entering and leaving the balcony at the top of the Sophora tree could light up a young boy's heart. The boy found that when he was used to fulfilling promises, his body was dominated by a familiar rhythm of heartbeat. But when genuine excitement came, the joy flowing in his blood was unparalleled.