They spent the entire day at the amusement park. In the afternoon, during the park's parade, Xiao Xingxing was so tired he fell asleep on Qin Tianyi's shoulder.
Gu Susu couldn't wake him no matter how she tried; the child was clearly exhausted from playing.
"Stop calling him. Let him sleep. We can just watch ourselves," Qin Tianyi said, holding Xiao Xingxing in his arms to let him sleep more comfortably.
Gu Susu said with regret, "But he's always wanted to see the parade with real cartoon characters. It's such a shame he didn't get to see it since we came today."
"It's okay. I'll bring him again next time. This amusement park isn't going anywhere, so there will be plenty of opportunities to see the parade."
Gu Susu hummed in response, still not understanding why Qin Tianyi was so good to Xiao Xingxing when he wasn't his biological son.
Qin Tianyi, holding the sleeping Xiao Xingxing, craned his neck and watched the various cartoon character floats pass by, looking quite absorbed.
At this moment, Gu Susu felt Qin Tianyi was like a big child himself. She asked, "Do you like watching parades too? Did you like watching cartoons when you were little?"
Qin Tianyi paused slightly and said, "I watched some."
Gu Susu then curiously asked, "Did you ever come to an amusement park like this when you were a child..."
Before she could finish her question, she felt raindrops falling on her head. Looking up, she saw that it was about to rain heavily.
Qin Tianyi turned to look at her, about to say something, but she spoke first, "It's going to rain. Let's find shelter first."
But as soon as she spoke, the raindrops intensified, and the crowd watching the parade on both sides of the road became flustered, "It's raining! It's raining!"
People scattered like startled birds. Some rushed past them, pushing them apart.
Gu Susu tried to get back to Qin Tianyi and Xiao Xingxing, but the chaotic crowd pushed her further and further away.
At this moment, the sky darkened, and flashes of lightning streaked across the sky. The wind rustled the leaves, and the once lively amusement park took on a somber atmosphere.
She shouted Qin Tianyi's name loudly, but in the crowd, she couldn't see him or Xiao Xingxing at all.
Large raindrops began to fall, and in an instant, it was a torrential downpour.
In the rain, Gu Susu couldn't see clearly and couldn't find Qin Tianyi and Xiao Xingxing.
She stood there helplessly, holding onto a sliver of hope, still shouting Qin Tianyi's name. Suddenly, she felt someone holding an umbrella behind her.
She quickly turned around and saw the tall Qin Tianyi holding a large black umbrella, shielding her from the wind and rain.
"Where's Xiao Xingxing? Why are you alone?"
"After we got separated, I took Xiao Xingxing to the restaurant nearby first. I got the umbrella and came out to find you. Let's go, why are you still standing foolishly in the rain?" Qin Tianyi said impatiently.
After the panic and confusion, Gu Susu's mind was blank. She didn't seem to hear what he said and remained standing still.
"So clumsy and foolish. The amusement park is this big, and you got separated. Why didn't you find shelter? What if you catch a cold and then infect the child? Do you have any brains at all!" Qin Tianyi scolded her, but at the same time, he took her hand and pulled her along.
Qin Tianyi led her to a restaurant, where she saw a waiter attending to the still-sleeping Xiao Xingxing. Seeing that Xiao Xingxing was not wet at all, she finally felt relieved.
Qin Tianyi asked her to take over caring for Xiao Xingxing from the waiter and ordered her a hot drink. However, her clothes were completely soaked, and she would catch a cold if she didn't change them soon.
"Do you sell women's clothing in the amusement park?" Qin Tianyi asked the waiter.
The waiter replied, "Women's clothing? When the rain stops, you could perhaps check the themed shops. They sell some cartoon character outfits, and there should be sizes for your wife."
Qin Tianyi took out some cash and told the waiter, "Please go buy me a set. Everything from the inside out, if possible. This is for you as a tip."
The waiter's eyes lit up as she took the tip, having never received such a large one before. "Certainly. What is your wife's size?"
Qin Tianyi glanced at Gu Susu and accurately stated her measurements from inside out, surprising even Gu Susu, who felt as if she were naked in front of him.
He then handed a bank card to the waiter, asking her to use it to pay at the shop directly.
Without a word, the waiter hurried off to fulfill the request. He then said to Gu Susu, "Please bear with me a little longer. You'll be able to change out of your wet clothes soon."
Gu Susu hummed in response and said, "I'm fine..."
But before she could finish, she couldn't help but sneeze, feeling a chill all over her body.
Qin Tianyi's expression turned serious. "If you catch a cold, I'll keep you and Xiao Xingxing apart and lock you up until you're better."
Gu Susu lowered her head and ignored him. This man was truly something. Just when she felt a sliver of human warmth from him, he would revert to being a domineering devil.
The heavy rain that had come quickly also left quickly. After more than an hour, it stopped, and the sun came out.
Gu Susu changed into the cartoon clothes the waiter had bought from the themed shop. She felt awkward no matter how she looked at herself; she had never dressed so cutely before.
She had always longed to wear such cute clothes as a child, but she had passed the age for dressing up before she could fulfill that wish. Now, at her age, she found herself wearing these kawaii clothes under such circumstances.
Xiao Xingxing had slept enough and woken up. He was delighted to see Gu Susu dressed like this. In a child's eyes, these were the most beautiful clothes.
Qin Tianyi then took Xiao Xingxing to play the amusement park rides they enjoyed again, insisting on staying at the park until evening to watch the fireworks show.
At dusk, Qin Tianyi found a long bench in an open area of the amusement park. The three of them sat there, watching the sunset gradually descend in the sky.
"When I was a child, my parents once brought me to an amusement park and we played all day. The rides weren't as numerous as they are now, but for a child, it was still an unparalleled paradise." Qin Tianyi, who was usually a man of few words, suddenly began to talk about his childhood.
Xiao Xingxing was lying on Gu Susu's lap, feeling drowsy and wanting to sleep again.
Gu Susu didn't interrupt, listening quietly as he spoke.
"My mother was very timid back then and didn't dare to play the high-altitude rides. My father accompanied me. I admired my father so much then. In my eyes, he was like a mountain, capable of protecting us and shielding us from the wind and rain," Qin Tianyi paused, then continued, "But they only took me to an amusement park once. After that, the three of us never came again. Later, even when I wanted to go to an amusement park, my mother would take me alone. I couldn't understand what went wrong between them. As a child, I wondered if it was because I hadn't done something right, or if I had angered my father in some way, so I tried very hard to be an excellent child. It wasn't until Jin Meiyao and her son appeared that I realized that no matter how excellent I was, it was useless..."