Chapter 169

“Yesterday, Zinnia and I ran into some idiots,” Maisie said. “We totally handled them. You guys have no idea—Zinnia just waved her hand, and they all fell down like bowling pins! It was so funny!”

Maisie quickly recounted the events of the previous day, omitting Neo's comments. Ethan exclaimed excitedly, “Maisie, you’re totally awesome! That’s how you handle them. Zinnia is super cool too!”

Ethan joked, “Zinnia, make sure you always carry lots of that special powder. Next time we meet any idiots, we’ll just throw it at them.”

“Maisie, you just want to show off how great Zinnia is,” Brian said.

“Hey, you really get me!” Maisie playfully slapped Brian, smiling. “Zinnia is seriously amazing!”

Lydia’s eyes flashed coldly upon hearing of Neo's plans against Zinnia. ‘Neo, huh?’ she thought.

Chatting and laughing, the group arrived at the amusement park. Having already purchased VIP tickets on their phones, they bypassed the lines and went straight inside.

The amusement park was enormous, overflowing with rides and shows—more than enough to occupy them all day. Various shows were also available.

Ethan checked his phone and announced happily, “I looked it up. There’s going to be fireworks and a dance show tonight.”

“Great! We’ll see the shows after the rides,” Maisie said.

“Hurry up,” she added, grabbing Zinnia’s left hand and Lydia’s right. “We’ve wasted half the morning. If we don’t start now, we won’t have enough time this afternoon.” The group ran into the park.

“I want to ride the Pendulum Ride!” Maisie called out excitedly as Ethan and Brian hurried to catch up.

Maisie added, “And I wanna ride that Drop Tower!”

Ethan said, “Maisie, you dare to ride that? If you freak out, don’t blame us.”

Maisie scoffed, “Me, scared? Just make sure you’re not the ones chickening out!” The group chased each other, laughing and joking.

Maisie asked excitedly, “Zinnia, which ride do you want to try first?”

They opted for something milder—the Pirate Ship ride. Despite the throngs of people, their VIP passes allowed them to skip the lines. After showing their tickets, they boarded immediately.

“Gotta sit in the back! That’s where all the fun is on the Pirate Ship. Brian, you coming with me?” Ethan raced to the last row.

“No way I’m sitting in the back. Safety first,” Brian said, heading for the middle seats.

“Brian! Are we still friends?” Ethan teased. “You took the middle seat? That’s the scaredy-cat spot! Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights. I never thought I’d see the day you had a weakness like that.”

Ethan, sitting in the back row, looked at Brian with wide, annoyed eyes. “Really, bro? You left me for the safe spot?”

Brian remained in the middle seat, buckling up without moving. Ethan let out a loud, frustrated sigh.

Maisie asked, “Zinnia, which row do you want to sit in? You’re not afraid of heights, right?”

Zinnia looked at the back row, still hanging ten feet above the ground before the ride even began. Feeling a bit nervous, she said, “Maybe I’ll sit more in the middle.”

It was her first time on this ride. Seeing the large pirate ship swinging so high, she felt a little scared. But the middle seats seemed boring.

Chapter 169 (Continued)

“Lydia, what about you?” Maisie asked.

“I’ll sit somewhere in the middle too,” Lydia said.

Ethan and Maisie took the second row, while the others sat closer to the middle. Brian held the safety bar tightly, valuing safety over thrills, as always.

Ethan and Maisie chatted happily in the back, both extremely excited.

As the others boarded, the worker outside announced loudly, “Please put on your seatbelts and hold on tight!”

“Harness,” Zinnia whispered, reaching for her safety harness as the worker spoke.

“Here,” Lydia smiled, leaning over to fasten Zinnia’s seatbelt.

“Thanks, Lydia,” Zinnia said softly.

Lydia smiled as she clicked her own seatbelt. “If you’re scared, hold my hand,” she said kindly. Their seats weren’t the highest, but they were still quite high up.

“If you’re scared, you can hold my hand too,” Zinnia said quickly, gripping the safety bar tightly.

Just as they buckled up, the pirate ship began to slowly ascend. As it rose, Zinnia’s eyes widened. A sudden feeling of weightlessness overcame her.

Her heart leaped into her throat as the ship’s creaks intensified. Zinnia screamed, her hands clinging to the safety bar. Before she could catch her breath, another wave of weightlessness hit.

“Save me, Lydia!” Zinnia screamed in fear. She saw a camera flash. Lydia was holding up her camera, taking pictures.

Her first instinct was to cover her face, but her hands were stuck to the safety bar. Unable to let go, she cried out. Before she finished, Lydia grasped her hand.

“Don’t be scared,” Lydia’s calm, gentle voice whispered.

As the pirate ship soared upward again, Zinnia screamed again.

Ethan yelled, “Holy crap! Why is it so high? Someone help! I’m done with this ride. I want off right now!”

As the ride swung higher, Ethan yelled loudly. After five minutes, when they finally disembarked, only Lydia and Brian appeared calm; Ethan, Maisie, and Zinnia looked queasy.

“Want some water?” Lydia offered Zinnia her bottle.

“Thanks,” Zinnia took a sip; her face was still pale, but her eyes sparkled happily.

‘That was so much fun!’ Zinnia thought.

“Who wants to ride that crazy spinning roller coaster next?” Ethan asked, eyeing the long, twisting track.

“I’m in!” Zinnia’s eyes lit up.

“Let’s do it! We’re riding everything today. No one chickens out,” Maisie said, consciously avoiding swearing to keep her allowance.

“We’ve got to try the Eye of the Storm, the Pendulum, and the Whirlwind Chairs. They all sound crazy!” Ethan said eagerly.

Brian’s lips twitched. ‘Such a scaredy-cat, but he just can’t resist a thrill,’ he thought.

Chapter 169 (Continued)

“Let’s go!” Ethan grabbed Brian, who pulled Zinnia along. Zinnia reached for Lydia, who then held hands with Maisie. The five of them formed a chain and ran forward.

In the sunshine, the five ran ahead, their energy as bright as the sunlight.