In the afternoon, Lu Ze told the others that he and Liang Xiao didn’t want to play any more thrilling rides, so the group of six split up. Sun Zhuoyu winked at him, reminding him not to get too caught up in their “two-person world” and forget about confessing that evening. Lu Ze nodded and made an “OK” gesture.
Liang Xiao felt guilty. “I’m fine with anything as long as it doesn’t spin—roller coasters are okay.”
Lu Ze waved it off. “I didn’t come here just for the rides anyway. The sun’s blazing; let’s stick to indoor activities.”
The indoor attractions were less intimidating for both of them, and the lines were shorter than outdoor ones. They ended up having a lot of fun. Liang Xiao held his phone as Lu Ze said, “My phone’s almost out of battery again, so now it’s Xiao-ge filming… Whose hands are steadier?”
Tired from walking, Lu Ze leaned against Liang Xiao’s shoulder as he spoke. Liang Xiao felt his ear heat up and itch slightly but turned his head casually to look elsewhere. “Yours. I’m not very good at it.”
Lu Ze stared at Liang Xiao’s sharp, handsome profile and suddenly said, “Xiao-ge, I don’t know how much debt you still have left, but with your looks, you could totally try being a content creator.”
“I’m not good at that,” Liang Xiao replied. “I wouldn’t know what to film or say.”
Lu Ze chuckled. “You’re so good-looking; just film yourself casually. You don’t even have to talk much—go for the cool guy vibe. You’d probably make money.”
“Almost done paying it off,” Liang Xiao said. “Should be finished by the second half of this year.”
Lu Ze nodded. “What do you plan to do after graduation, once you’ve cleared your debt?”
Liang Xiao was silent for a moment before saying, “I haven’t thought about it yet—just focused on paying off the debt.”
Lu Ze didn’t press further and instead pointed ahead with his chin. “Is that a magic show?”
“Looks like it.”
Lu Ze snapped his fingers. “Let’s check it out.”
They watched a 30-minute magic performance and then browsed through stalls selling small magic props afterward. Lu Ze asked casually, “Do you know any magic tricks?”
“Just two simple card tricks,” Liang Xiao said.
Lu Ze smiled and bought a few small props. “Watch me later—I haven’t done this in ages; let’s see if I still remember how.”
Each of them got a cold drink and found a small table to sit at. As Lu Ze unpacked the props, Liang Xiao filmed his hands and commented, “Ze-ge has really nice hands.”
Lu Ze paused mid-action and glanced at Liang Xiao before realizing he was speaking to the camera.
Clicking his tongue, Lu Ze shuffled the newly opened deck of cards and cleared his throat. “Alright, let’s start with something simple to warm up.”
Liang Xiao watched intently as Lu Ze shuffled the cards skillfully before pushing them toward him. “This is the deck you just saw me open, right? I didn’t have a chance to tamper with it. Now you can shuffle it however you like.”
Liang Xiao propped his phone against his cup, took the cards, inspected them carefully, and shuffled them randomly without any pattern. “Done.”
Lu Ze smirked—a different kind of smile from usual, carrying a roguish charm—and spread the cards face down in front of Liang Xiao. “Pick any two cards you like; don’t tell me what they are—just show them to the camera.”
Liang Xiao carefully selected two cards: the Ace of Hearts and the Three of Clubs.
Lu Ze closed his eyes as Liang Xiao put the cards back into the deck and shuffled thoroughly until even he didn’t know their positions.
“Done,” Liang Xiao said.
Lu Ze opened his eyes and smiled. “Do you think I can find them?”
Liang Xiao chuckled. “I hope you can.”
Lu Ze ran his fingers slowly over the cards while keeping his gaze fixed on Liang Xiao’s face, a faint smile playing on his lips. Liang Xiao maintained a neutral expression, deliberately avoiding any reaction. “Does magic require mind-reading now?” he teased.
“It’s not mind-reading,” Lu Ze replied, lowering his voice as he locked eyes with Liang Xiao. “It’s magic.”
Before Liang Xiao could react, Lu Ze swiftly plucked a card from the deck with his fingertips and held it up between two fingers. “Is this it? The Three of Clubs.”
Liang Xiao suspected Lu Ze had done something while talking to him earlier, but he nodded and focused intently on Lu Ze’s hands this time. “Yes, but there’s still one more.”
“I already know,” Lu Ze said confidently. “Is it—”
Without breaking eye contact, Lu Ze flipped the Three of Clubs face down, then suddenly slapped it onto the table and pushed it toward Liang Xiao.
“The Ace of Hearts.”
Liang Xiao froze for a moment before quickly flipping the card over. Somehow, the Three of Clubs had turned into the Ace of Hearts.
He stared at Lu Ze in disbelief. “Where’s the Three of Clubs from earlier?”
Lu Ze smiled mysteriously, crossing his arms and tilting his chin up. “That *is* the Three of Clubs—I transformed it into the Ace of Hearts. The Three is back in the remaining deck.”
Liang Xiao inspected the Ace of Hearts thoroughly—it was just a normal card with no hidden mechanisms. He then searched through the remaining deck and found the Three of Clubs, also perfectly ordinary.
Looking up at Lu Ze, Liang Xiao saw him raise an eyebrow smugly. Smiling, Liang Xiao clapped for him. “That’s amazing! How did you do it?”
Leaning closer, Lu Ze whispered, “I told you—it’s magic.”
Later, when the other four returned after tiring themselves out, they found Lu Ze still performing tricks for Liang Xiao. They watched as he made a ring disappear from his hand and then pulled it out of Mao Xin’s shirt pocket.
Sun Zhuoyu exclaimed in shock, “What the heck! That’s incredible!”
He hooked an arm around Lu Ze’s neck and pulled him aside, whispering excitedly, “Master! Why didn’t you teach me this? Can I still learn now?”
“You never asked!” Lu Ze replied. “What do you want to perform? Flowers? Gifts?”
Sun Zhuoyu looked serious. “I want to do everything! This is so cool!”
Lu Ze clicked his tongue. “Dream on. I’ll teach you how to make flowers appear—but with such little time, you’ll only manage something basic.”
They excused themselves to the restroom, sneaking away to practice magic tricks. Once Sun Zhuoyu felt confident enough, he sent a message in their specially created confession group chat. The others also claimed they needed the restroom, leaving Meng Qian behind to watch their belongings.
Hiding nearby, Sun Zhuoyu retrieved the gift he had pre-purchased from a toy store. “Should I go now? I’m so nervous…”
Lü Xuan chuckled. “What’s there to be nervous about? Qian Qian clearly likes you. Just be yourself.”
“Oh no, how do I conjure the rose again? I think I forgot…”
Lu Ze sighed with a smile and gave him a push from behind. “Don’t worry. If you forget, just take it out directly.”
Mao Xin and Lü Xuan aimed their phones at him as Sun Zhuoyu nervously approached Meng Qian from behind, tapping her shoulder. She turned around, initially puzzled, but her face lit up with delight when Sun Zhuoyu opened the box.
“This should work,” Mao Xin said with a laugh.
Lü Xuan was even more excited than Meng Qian, stomping her feet. “Of course it will! Look how happy she is!”
From their distance, they couldn’t hear what was being said. Although Sun Zhuoyu’s magic trick was full of flaws, Meng Qian didn’t seem to notice or care—she smiled brightly as he presented the conjured rose.
Lu Ze stopped watching and retreated behind a wall with a grin, softly calling out, “Xiao-ge.”
Liang Xiao turned to him. Lu Ze extended both hands in front of Liang Xiao. Confused, Liang Xiao asked, “What is it? What do you need?”
“Empty,” Lu Ze replied.
Realizing that Lu Ze was hooked on performing magic tricks, Liang Xiao stared at him for a moment. Lu Ze leaned closer and reached behind Liang Xiao’s back, pretending to grab something before producing a rose.
Liang Xiao froze in surprise as Lu Ze handed him the rose with a smile. “Leftover from earlier—it’d be a waste not to use it.”
Before Liang Xiao could take it, they heard a soft gasp nearby. Both turned to see Lü Xuan covering her mouth and staring at them. “You two are so romantic…”
Lu Ze froze for a moment before remembering that Liang Xiao was supposed to be his boyfriend today. Giving him a rose now felt like… confessing.
Suddenly feeling awkward holding the rose, Lu Ze stammered, “It’s not… we’re not… I didn’t mean…”
As he tried to discard the flower, Liang Xiao reached out and took it instead. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said softly, “Thank you.”
My heart feels so soft for these two~❤️