Although the players at the amusement park were waiting with bated breath, they understood that it was getting late. A shift change between day and night crew was completely normal; both the host and the broadcast director needed a break.
Before long, as the clock struck nine-thirty, the giant outdoor screen at Golden Bee Amusement Park lit up once again.
Within that space rendered in vibrant, video-game hues, two figures stood wearing matching uniforms brimming with youthful vigor, both charming and undeniably innocent.
At that moment, they looked just like a pair of school sweethearts walking into class together, sharing the sweet simplicity of their tender years.
"Hi, hi, hi! Love-Hurdle Corridors Academy Season One resumes right now!"
An energetic female voice rang out as a girl dressed in a golden bee costume stepped onto the stage.
Wrapped in the mascot suit, her face was painted in watercolors, leaving only a few strands of pale blue hair visibly peeking out.
Inside the Shadow World, Lanqi and Talia still saw only the cartoon golden bee avatar.
Even so, Lanqi couldn't help thinking the host's voice sounded strangely like Senior Luvishir.
"Are you two ready for question eight?" the host asked the pair in their seats.
"..."
Lanqi sneaked a glance at Talia.
All this time, Talia had kept her head down, the tips of her ears flushed red, without speaking a single word to him.
He nodded.
Talia also gave a slight, silent nod.
"Don't worry! Generally speaking, if you've made it this far smoothly, the questions ahead won't be too hard for you!" the little bee host said encouragingly.
She flipped open the question card she had just drawn.
[Question Eight (Male & Female): Have you ever dated multiple people at the same time?]
Lanqi and Talia, who had both gripped their little chalkboards a bit tighter, let out a collective sigh of relief.
[No]
[No]
This question was absurdly easy—practically free points. Of course, if either of them had actually done something like that, the revelation would have been downright explosive.
At that very moment, however...
Below the stage.
Beads of sweat were already forming on Loren's forehead.
He realized this game wasn't something one could play carelessly.
And right then, the camera panning across the audience happened to catch Loren in a direct close-up.
He forced himself to look composed.
The camera lingered on him.
Loren sat upright, eyes fixed on the stage. He flicked just a single glance at the lens before immediately returning his gaze to the stage.
After a few moments...
The camera finally drifted away.
Loren let out a ragged breath of relief.
"Loren, what's wrong?"
Noticing the sweat on Loren's brow, Juliana took out a handkerchief, raised her hand, and gently patted his forehead.
"The... the weather's just a bit too warm," Loren replied, his nervousness spiking as Juliana drew closer, her soft warmth practically pressing against him.
Inside the graffiti classroom.
"You two, your current prize has reached the Animal Forest Chocolate Memorial Gift Box plus sixty-four Golden Bee coins! Judging by what this lovely gray-haired young lady said earlier, I take it you're continuing?" the little bee host asked.
After silently gauging each other's reactions, both gave a slight nod.
If the questions stayed at this level, there was no reason to pass up free rewards. With every question answered from here on, the newly earned Golden Bee coins would increase substantially.
"Great! Here is the next question!"
The little bee host revealed the new prompt—
[Question Nine (Male & Female): What do the two of you want to do tonight?]
[Have a late-night snack]
[Feed her a late-night snack]
Catching sight of each other's answers, they stared at one another.
The audience below fell completely silent.
What kind of unspoken chemistry was this?
At this moment, neither seemed the least bit afraid of exposing their innermost thoughts before the public.
Before the audience could even start hooting and teasing, a low table materialized in front of them. Sitting on a plate atop it was a weekend-special crepe from Golden Bee Amusement Park.
The crepe's golden-brown edges curled slightly with a delicate crispness, while its soft, uncollapsed center harbored a shallow hollow filled with a layer of cream, wrapped around freshly sliced strawberries and yogurt cake.
Talia's gaze was instantly captured by the crepe.
Normally, getting one required waiting in an endless line and winning enough games to amass a hefty pile of Golden Bee coins.
"Congratulations on triggering a special reward—an impromptu surprise prepared by our production team!" the host announced cheerfully, turning toward Lanqi. "Now, both of your wishes can be granted. Please, feed it to her!"
"No, wait, can we take it outside?" Lanqi asked, shaking his head stiffly.
"Uh, of course not! This is an in-event special reward. Both of your hearts were clearly thinking about interacting just moments ago, but now that the chance is here, are you afraid to face your true feelings?" the host asked with apparent regret.
"..."
To be completely honest, even with Lanqi's psychological fortitude, feeding Tata in full view of the public felt like mutual destruction.
He stole a peek at Tata.
Her glare was murderous enough to kill, clearly broadcasting: *If you dare try to feed me in front of all these people, I'll bite your hand off.*
Lanqi's heart instantly leaped into double time.
His hand trembled, and by the time he regained his senses, he had already picked up the crepe.
"Y-You..." Talia watched Lanqi draw closer, her own heart pounding under the unbearable strain.
Then Lanqi brought the crepe to his own mouth.
With an entirely innocent expression, he began eating it himself, letting Tata watch him chew up close.
"?"
Talia's eyes widened. Watching him eat while casually studying her reaction, she felt like he was openly mocking and teasing her.
Now she certainly couldn't bring herself to say she had wanted him to feed her.
Her chest swelled with mounting disappointment and indignant fury.
Whether Lanqi found her a feast for the eyes or simply relished seeing her so frustrated and unable to speak out, one thing was certain: he was eating with absolute relish.
Furious, she lunged straight at him to snatch the crepe away.
Half-fighting and half-scrambling for food, the two wrestled back and forth, leaving bite mark after bite mark in the pastry.
"They look like they're having so much fun together."
"Yeah, totally."
The audience nodded with deep satisfaction.
In the end, the scuffle concluded with Lanqi pinned down by Talia. She polished off the rest of the crepe in two or three bites, then struck a triumphant pose before letting go of the squashed Lanqi.
"That's not fair! You're bullying me," Lanqi grumbled indignantly.
"Hmph, if you've got the guts, try pinning me to the ground next time," Talia retorted, licking the corner of her lips with immense satisfaction.
Savoring the aftertaste, she realized that the treat she had just wolfed down was the most delicious crepe she had ever tasted. Never had she imagined any pastry could strike such a perfect balance of sweet and tart.
Suddenly, both remembered they were still on the show. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, they retreated to their respective seats and turned their heads away, refusing to look at each other.
Just a moment ago, they had completely forgotten that a massive crowd was watching their every move.
Neither had any idea whether that undignified squabble looked entirely absurd to the visitors at the amusement park...
Chapter 634