After the breakup, I was taken in by a group of trendy young women.

When Huang Mao got off the roller coaster, Honey Tea Brown's twin ponytails were blown into two fluffy balls by the wind.

She staggered a couple of steps, grabbed the man with the tattooed arm's shoulder, her eyes shining like two newly charged light bulbs: "Tattooed arm! That dive just now! I thought I was going to fly out! My skirt almost rode up to my face!"

The tattooed man pulled his sunglasses off his forehead and put them on, a freshly lit cigarette dangling from his mouth. The koi fish on his tattoo gleamed with a bluish-black light in the midday sun.

She patted the blond-haired man on the back, her tone feigning composure, but the curve of her lips betrayed her: "It's alright, nothing special—a little more exciting than I imagined."

"Just a little bit?"

The man with the flowery legs walked up from behind, his iced cola still steaming.

She wore a floral dress and her new sandals today, and the rose tattoo on her leg was a striking red in the sunlight.

"You were yelling even louder than blondie; the whole queuing area could hear you."

"My throat was itchy," the tattooed man said without changing his expression.

Green Hair and Pink Hair jumped off the carousel, their earrings shining brightly in the sunlight.

Qi Liuhai sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, holding Wangcai in his arms. The cat poked its head out of its space capsule cat carrier, one ear perked up, watching the Ferris wheel.

Sisters Shen Qing and Shen Na stood in front of the ice cream truck, one holding a matcha cone and the other a strawberry cone. Their profiles looked as if they had been developed from the same negative in the sunlight.

Only Wang Xiaoying stood at the very back of the line, her style completely out of place with the rest of the amusement park.

She was still wearing the same navy blue suit jacket and pencil skirt she had worn that morning, along with those black stiletto heels.

The midday sun softened the asphalt pavement, and her high heels had already sunk into the cracks in the ground twice—the first time was on the gravel path in the roller coaster queue area, and the second time was in the gap in the drain cover next to the carousel.

The tattooed arm helped her pull it out once, the tattooed leg helped her pull it out a second time, and the third time she squatted down to pull it out herself, the side seam of her pencil skirt made a very faint sound of a thread snapping.

She straightened up, a fine layer of sweat beading on her forehead.

The lining of her suit jacket was starting to stick to her arms, and the waistline of her pencil skirt was so tight that she had to take a deep breath with every step she took.

She watched the group of girls running wildly in the sunlight—the blond girl was pulling the tattooed arm towards the drop tower, the tattooed leg followed behind recording with a phone, and the green-haired and pink-haired girls were each holding an ice cream cone and competing to see who could lick it the fastest—then she looked down at her high heels, and an extremely complicated expression appeared on her face, wanting to fit in but not knowing how.

"Lin Ye—I'm not suited to playing like this—can I go back to the car and change my clothes?"

She walked to Lin Ye's side, her voice three octaves lower than usual in the office, her tone lacking the authority she used when scolding, and instead filled with a cautious pleading.

Lin Ye leaned against the railing in the drop tower queue area, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

He turned around and looked her up and down—from her high heels that seemed to sink into the ground three times, to her tight-fitting pencil skirt, and to her suit jacket that was already wrinkling in the 30-degree heat.

Then he looked away, his tone as casual as if he were asking what she had for breakfast that day.

"No need, don't be so delicate."

Wang Xiaoying's lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something to salvage her dignity as a manager.

But before she could speak, Lin Ye had already taken his hand off the railing and turned to walk towards the amusement park exit.

He took a couple of steps, stopped, glanced back at her, and said, "Trouble. Let them play by themselves. I'm going to rest in the car for a bit."

The tattooed man was being dragged by the blond-haired guy towards the entrance of the drop tower. He turned back and shouted, "Bro, where are you going?"

Lin Ye waved his hand without turning his head: "Take a nap in the car. You guys do your thing, don't worry about me."

The man with the flowery legs leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Brother, are you tired?"

Huang Mao jumped around at the entrance of the drop tower, shouting, "Brother, come back and find us when you're rested. We're going to the haunted house again."

Green Hair and Pink Hair were already queuing up under the pirate ship, each holding a newly bought cotton candy. Qi Liuhai was sitting on a bench under the Ferris wheel, holding Wangcai. Shen Qing and Shen Na were standing side by side in the queue for the spinning teacups.

Lin Ye took the cigarette out of his mouth and turned to walk towards the parking lot.

Wang Xiaoying followed behind, her high heels clicking on the concrete of the amusement park, each step feeling like she was walking on stilts.

She walked behind him, watching his back—his dark gray T-shirt was slightly warm from the sun, and his khaki casual shorts revealed a section of his tanned calves.

Her heart started racing again, just like it had been last night when she was crouching by the sofa.

Her car was parked under a crooked sycamore tree. It was a white joint-venture SUV worth over 100,000 yuan, with several gray marks on the body from the May Day crowds, and a faded lucky charm hanging on the rearview mirror.

Wang Xiaoying took out her car key and pressed it twice. The headlights flashed, and the sound of unlocking was particularly clear in the quiet parking lot.

Lin Ye opened the back door and got in.

The chair had been baking in the sun all morning, and the backrest was as hot as a freshly cooked iron plate. He hissed and reached over to take his T-shirt off his head.

Wang Xiaoying opened the driver's side door and got in. Just as she was about to adjust the rearview mirror, she caught a glimpse of Lin Ye, shirtless, in the back seat.

Her hand froze in mid-air, her fingers still resting on the adjustment knob of the rearview mirror.

Lin Ye leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, his dark gray T-shirt crumpled up and placed beside him.

Her gaze drifted uncontrollably downwards—from her collarbone to her chest, from her chest to her abs. Her shoulders were broad, but her waist was narrow, and the outline of her abs was faintly visible in the dimly lit carriage.

Her fingers slid down the rearview mirror adjustment knob, and her ears began to burn, just like last night.

"Lin Ye—what exactly do you want?"

She thought he was genuinely tired and wanted to rest.

She thought that what happened last night was over.

Lin Ye opened his eyes and looked into her eyes in the rearview mirror.

His eyes were clear, without a trace of drowsiness.

The corners of his mouth curved up in an arc she had never seen before—not a smile, but a scrutiny, a calm and deliberate scrutiny, as if he were looking at a dish that had just been served.

"Come sit in the back."

Wang Xiaoying's breath hitched.

She shouldn't go.

He was her subordinate, she was several years older than him, and the car was in a public parking lot where people could pass by at any time—but she was already unbuckling her seatbelt.

Her finger pressed on the seatbelt buckle, and with a click, the seatbelt popped open.

She opened the car door and got out.

She casually closed the passenger door, and then opened the other door on the back seat.

She bent down and sat down, and the side seam of her pencil skirt made a very faint sound of a thread snapping.

She sat sideways with her legs together, the thin heels of her high heels wedged into the anti-slip pattern of the insole.

"Lin Ye—you—what are you doing—" Her voice trembled.

Lin Ye sat up straight in his seat, reached out, and pinched her chin.

Stable, powerful, and irresistible.

She had a pointed chin and smooth skin. He pulled her slightly in this direction, and her body tilted uncontrollably towards him.

Then he lowered his head and kissed her lips.

It wasn't a test, it wasn't politeness, it was a direct, forceful, and aggressive kiss.

Her lips were sealed tightly by his, her suit jacket brushed against his shoulder, and then her fingers gripped his shoulder, her knuckles turning slightly white.

The kiss lasted a long time.

When he finally let go of her, her lipstick was completely smudged. The mauve color had smudged from her lips to the corners of her mouth, her chin, and his lips, leaving a mottled pattern, like a watercolor painting wet with rain.

One of the buttons on the suit jacket had come undone at some point.

"Linye—this is a parking lot—people will see us—"

Her voice was as soft as a cotton candy melted by the sun, completely lacking the sharp edge she usually had in the office, the kind that could leave people speechless.

Lin Ye leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and his canvas slippers swayed in the dimly lit carriage.

He looked down at Wang Xiaoying, the smile still on his lips, his tone relaxed as if he were saying the weather was nice today.

He closed his eyes, leaned the back of his head against the chair, and said, "You're welcome."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoying trembled slightly, then lowered her head, resting her forehead on his knee.

The voice muffled between his knees and the seat: "You—you're bullying me—"

She didn't finish speaking because Lin Ye's hand covered the back of her head.

His fingers slipped into her loose, low bun, where hairpins had fallen onto the foot mat, and her hair had come loose and draped over her shoulders.

He gently pressed her head down a little bit.