“That’s a great idea, Cindy! That sounds like fun,” Qin Xing agreed with enthusiasm. Then again, he would probably say yes to any suggestion that came out of his girlfriend’s lips.

Cindy turned to the rest of the group for their opinion. She knew she was going to get a nod from Pei Ling. Since three of them had voted for yes, Jun Yang who often found himself following the majority for the sake of peace, decided to tag along. Thus, the only possible source of contention was Feng Qi.

In reality, the young man did not really have a destination in mind. The roller-coaster was as good a choice as any to try out so he merely shrugged when Cindy’s eyes turned to him.

“Yay, it’s decided then. We will head to the roller-coaster.” Cindy and Qin Xing led the group towards the attraction that they could see from the distance.

The roller-coaster was actually one of the theme park’s main attractions. Its speed and height had attracted many an adrenaline seeker. Even though many visitors had deemed it one of the scariest rides available at their city, the ride still managed to attract many people to come challenge it. However, that was the allure of roller-coaster, wasn’t it? That feeling of rush that you would not experience during everyday life.

This meant that when the group arrived at the ride’s vicinity, there was already a long line waiting. They quickly moved to join the queue which was still growing.

Standing in line, they could hear the screams of the passengers who were currently on the ride. This worked to enhance the anxiety of those who were waiting for their turn. Some of their hearts were already palpating before they were even physically on the ride. It was part of the experience.

Cindy leaned close to her boyfriend and uttered in a small voice, “Qin Xing, I’m scared…” Qin Xing responded by hugging her close and promised in a manly voice, “It’s going to be fine, I will protect you.”

“You’re the best, Qin Xing.” Cindy sighed as she nuzzled deeper into her boyfriend’s embrace.

Feng Qi who stood close to the couple mimed a vomiting gesture out of their sight. Jun Yang caught this and it caused him to issue a chuckle.

Pei Ling stood there with an impassive face, looking like she was above all the commotion that was happening around her. In reality, she was so detached from her surroundings because she was contemplating the plan in her mind.

There were multiple levels to her plan and one of them was related to how Cindy was carrying herself in her boyfriend’s presence.

Do you know what is the most addictive and fatal substance in the world? You’d think it is some kind of chemical drug but it might not be so.

One proposes that it could be the sense of validation, the feeling of being needed, being accorded an importance and necessity to one’s existence. And that often falls under the province of the female charm.

People often say the female is the weaker sex but the female guile and charm is a set of weaponry that the male would have trouble trying to access. When one appears weak, it is a plea for help and once help is provided, it often binds the two into a bond of reliance. And it is one’s belief that the bond shackles both parties in equal parts, instead of just placing the reliant party into a weaker position.

Take for example, the situation with Cindy and Qin Xing. It was Cindy who suggested they came to the roller coaster but it was also her who claimed that she was scared. If she was scared, then why would she suggest for them to come and experience the roller-coaster? It made no sense… unless one considered there was a sense of willfulness behind her action, other than the order that was given to her by Pei Ling.

To put it plainly, she made the claim that she was scared in front of the roller-coaster on purpose. She knew that by saying that, it would provide the avenue for her boyfriend to jump in, to be the knight to save the damsel in distress. It would stroke his male ego and make him feel, as base as it is to put it in this manner, useful.

Of course, the story is taking an overly analytical look to something that Cindy probably saw as nothing more than a harmless act of female wile.

In any case, this was the method that Pei Ling attempted to employ on Jun Yang. It was why she had notified Cindy to lead them to the roller-coaster once they were at the park. The plan was to be teary-eyed and flustered, practically a scared rabbit once she got on the roller-coaster. Needless to say, she would turn to Jun Yang for help. She would be indebted to Jun Yang, a debt of affection so to speak and the weight of this debt would be heavy on both parties’ shoulders.

This was to elicit the sense of protectiveness and duty within Jun Yang. If he saw her as a girl who desperately needed his help, then perhaps it might cause a paradigm shift in their relationship and he might see her more than a friend. Of course, that was not going to happen overnight but it would be a start.

After all, this is how most of our fairytales go, isn’t it? Boy meets girl who is in trouble, boy helps girl, they fall in love and happily ever after comes afterwards. Everyone has their designated roles to play.

Like the play that they were supposed to organize for Mr. Sam’s class, Pei Ling was also playing a role that day and her ultimate purpose was to rope in Jun Yang as her scene partner in this romantic fiction.

The line continued to move and it was finally their turn. The visitors took their seats as directed by the park workers. The group before them was a family of four and they had to be split up because the ride was a three-seater. The father, the one who was voted off, took the seat apart from his family.

This meant that Jun Yang’s group who came right after had to split up as well. There were two empty seats in front, next to the father and three empty seats at the back. And this was where the real war for love would begin.

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