Early the next morning,
Chen Jianhai arrived punctually at the entrance of Magic Century Theme Park. As soon as he crossed the three suspension bridges, he saw the golden-haired Jin Jiemi waving at him from the crowd.
"Chen~!!"
Chen Jianhai also raised his hand and waved back,
"Jin~!!!"
The two bosses greeted each other from afar, drawing curious glances from the surrounding tourists.
"Chen, very punctual!"
Jin Jiemi's face was filled with a warm smile as he firmly grasped Chen Jianhai's hand and shook it vigorously.
"Let's go, we're entering the park."
With that, Jin Jiemi led Chen Jianhai to the ticket booth, pulled out his phone to buy tickets, and naturally stood at the end of the line.
Wait, we're queuing???
Chen Jianhai stood dumbfounded next to Jin Jiemi, completely baffled by what the fat guy was up to.
After some thought, Chen Jianhai pointed at the line ahead and asked with confusion:
"Aren't we going straight in?"
"We are going straight in!" Jin Jiemi replied earnestly.
"The line isn't too long today. We should be able to enter the park in about 19 minutes."
Jin Jiemi pulled out his phone, opened the Magic Century Theme Park app, checked the queue status at the entrance, and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Chen Jianhai: ???
We have to queue to enter our own amusement park?
Are you kidding me?!
After a moment of silence, Chen Jianhai tentatively asked:
"Mr. Jin, don't we have a special entrance?"
Jin Jiemi: "We do! But to use the special entrance, you need to purchase a Fast Pass or hold an Unlimited Fast Play Pass. Regular tickets won't work."
Chen Jianhai was stunned.
"You don't have one???"
Jin Jiemi nodded, "There's only one Unlimited Fast Play Pass, and I've already given it away."
"To get a Fast Pass, you have to queue up at 4 a.m. I didn't wake up that early..."
At this point,
Jin Jiemi's face turned red, and he coughed awkwardly.
Chen Jianhai: ...
An awkward silence hung in the air.
"Can't you pull some strings, Mr. Jin?" Chen Jianhai asked, still unwilling to give up.
Jin Jiemi shook his head, "That wouldn't be fair."
The two fell silent for a couple of minutes before Chen Jianhai finally broke the silence with a smile:
"Mr. Jin, you really are a man of rules."
"No wonder Magic Century Theme Park is so successful. It's all thanks to your excellent management!"
Seeing an opportunity to save face, Jin Jiemi quickly chimed in, and the two shifted the topic, chatting amiably as they queued up.
As soon as they entered the park, Jin Jiemi led Chen Jianhai through Wizard Avenue and headed straight for the Wizard Castle.
"Chen, the most exciting attraction in our park is the Wizard Zombie Mummy Chaos Battle in the Wizard Castle."
"If we hurry, we can play it once now and then again before we leave the park tonight."
Chen Jianhai nodded numbly,
as the crowd surged toward the Wizard Castle.
Chen Jianhai and Jin Jiemi, two burly men, sprinted ahead of the crowd, leaving the shorter-legged visitors behind, and unceremoniously joined the end of the line at the Wizard Castle entrance.
50 minutes later, the two entered the Wizard Castle.
8 minutes later, they emerged,
Chen Jianhai's face pale, his stomach churning. He sat on a nearby bench for a good 10 minutes before recovering.
He had experienced the Wizard Zombie Mummy Chaos Battle before. It was thrilling, but never this terrifying!
If the previous intensity level was a 1, this time it was an 8!
Especially the twists and plunges, which nearly killed him.
"Mr. Jin, has this ride always been this intense?"
Jin Jiemi: "It wasn't this bad before,"
"But during the park's trial operation, a customer complained that there weren't enough twists, the plunges weren't fast enough, and the drops were too slow and not thrilling. They strongly suggested improvements."
"During our subsequent testing, we agreed it was an issue and made the changes."
"But you know what? After the improvements, the ride's intensity definitely increased, and even the online ratings went up."
Chen Jianhai: "..." I should slap myself.
After finishing the Wizard Zombie Mummy Chaos Battle at the Wizard Castle, the two headed straight for the Water World Giant Funnel Slide.
After queuing for 1 hour and 35 minutes, they entered the Water World Slide and enjoyed 18 seconds of fun.
After queuing for 1 hour and 48 minutes, they entered the Fire Dragon Lava Banana Boat and enjoyed 4 minutes of fun.
After queuing for 2 hours and 35 minutes, they entered the Pancake Man Witch Castle Escape and enjoyed 3 minutes and 28 seconds of fun.
After queuing for 1 hour and 13 minutes, they entered the Crazy Elf Tailor's Soul Mushroom World Adventure and enjoyed 4 minutes of fun.
Just like that, half the day flew by.
The autumn sun hung high in the sky, showering the earth with bright light and heat.
The queuing area was packed with people. Chen Jianhai, being tall, could at least lift his head to catch a few breaths of fresh air when he felt suffocated.
But the shorter girls queuing next to him weren't so lucky.
Not only were they exhausted and yawning,
one girl's eyeshadow—whether it was pink, gold, or some other color—had smudged into a messy blob on her eyelids.
Several times, Chen Jianhai was tempted to pull out a tissue and wipe it off for her,
but remembering how he had gotten scratched bloody the last time he tried to touch Wen Zifan's eyeshadow, he wisely averted his gaze and resisted the urge.
As for Jin Jiemi, he had it even worse.
Perhaps due to the naturally active sweat glands of his blond-haired, blue-eyed race,
Jin Jiemi's shirt had gone from a light white to a dark gray.
Except for the collar area, which was still faintly visible as light white where it hadn't been soaked in sweat,
the rest of his shirt was drenched in multiple layers of sweat.
At first, Chen Jianhai thought Jin Jiemi was deliberately torturing him by making him queue and suffer. He almost pulled out his Unlimited Fast Play Pass several times, ready to use the special entrance and enjoy himself, cursing the fat guy in his heart.
But seeing Jin Jiemi's soaked shirt and sweat-drenched face,
Chen Jianhai held back and kept the Unlimited Play Pass firmly in his pocket.
"Jin~ You have no idea how much I've sacrificed for you!"
Chen Jianhai said deeply as he watched Jin Jiemi run out of the drink stand with two cups of iced butter soda.
???
Jin Jiemi was momentarily stunned, not understanding what Chen Jianhai meant.
Chen Jianhai smiled wryly, took the iced butter soda, and downed it in one go.
"Let's go! Today, we brothers are going to have a blast in your park!"
Hearing this, Jin Jiemi's lips curled into a wide grin, revealing a set of white teeth:
"Let's go!"
And so, they played until nightfall.
Amid the sea of people, the endless waiting, and the brief moments of joy, the two bosses finally exhausted themselves and made their way to the top of the Wizard Castle.
Eerie yet dazzling lights formed various patterns along the castle walls,
multicolored fireworks burst in the sky,
and the magic AI's灵动与烟花在星空之中互映而起,
the Wizard Castle light show and fireworks display at Magic Century Theme Park were second to none in the country.
Although this was Chen Jianhai's second time admiring the lights and fireworks from the top of the Wizard Castle, he couldn't help but feel a sense of envy.
"I thought we'd have to queue to get up here too," Chen Jianhai joked.
"This is my office area. No queuing required. I can come up anytime," Jin Jiemi replied straightforwardly.
Chen Jianhai laughed.
"Bro, honestly, you're the first boss I've met who's so rule-bound and single-minded."
Jin Jiemi's blue eyes looked at Chen Jianhai with confusion, unsure if this was a compliment or an insult.
After some thought, Jin Jiemi stared at Chen Jianhai and suddenly asked:
"Chen, are you sure we've never met before?"
"I feel like I've seen you somewhere... And what did you mean by 'sacrificed for me' earlier?"
"I don't quite understand."
Chen Jianhai looked at his neighbor's genuinely curious expression and smiled.
In the next moment, a golden card appeared before Jin Jiemi's eyes.
"This is...!"
Jin Jiemi's blue eyes widened in shock as he stared at the card.
"Hahaha!"
Jin Jiemi suddenly burst into laughter.
"Bad fox!"
...
With the first scoop of the excavator,
Ocean Star Luxury Decoration Company and Magic Century Theme Park Project Contracting Company began a two-month construction project.
Due to the construction,
Magic Century Theme Park had to close four attractions and one themed area,
while Lion Castle Hotel also closed and cordoned off the Dream Elf City themed area.
The news caused an uproar among countless content creators.
The live stream by Huadu Xiaoxiao had already sparked a wave of immersive magical theme park experiences online,
and with the closure of Dream Elf City, many creators had hoped to be the first to livestream from the area to attract a wave of traffic.
But with the construction underway, all their plans were ruined.
"Sigh!"
"Bro, you have no idea how tough things have been for me these past few days."
At the backyard of Little Lang's East Sea Dragon Palace BBQ, in front of the charcoal grill,
a soot-covered Little Lang looked like he was about to cry when he saw Chen Jianhai.
"Looks like you're doing pretty well to me!"
Chen Jianhai said enviously, his eyes turning red with jealousy as he looked at the bustling business of the BBQ joint.
Since Little Lang took over the place, business had been getting better every day.
On regular days, it was manageable, but during peak hours, the place was packed with queues.
Chen Jianhai wondered when his Lion Castle Hotel would ever see such crowds.
"Doing well?!"
"Grilling used to be my passion, but now it's just a job."
Little Lang took a bitter swig of cola, his brows furrowed in frustration.
Chen Jianhai was puzzled: "What's the difference?"
"Of course there's a difference!"
Little Lang straightened his neck, speaking with a pained expression:
"Only something you love can be called a passion. Something you're forced to do is just a job."
Chen Jianhai: ...I don't really get it.
"Isn't it all just grilling?"
"You make it sound like you've switched careers."
Little Lang shook his head.
"Before, I grilled for myself. I was happy and willing to do it."
"Now, I'm forced to grill for others every day. I want to quit."
Chen Jianhai: "Get out of here! You're the boss. What are you quitting for?"
Little Lang sighed and shook his head.
"Ah, forget it."
"You're still young."
"You wouldn't understand my level of enlightenment."
As the two were talking, a server came over.
"Boss, that customer is here again today."
Hearing this, Little Lang's face darkened.
"What did she order today?"
The server checked the menu: "20 lamb skewers, 10 beef brisket skewers, 6 vegetable rolls, 12 chicken hearts without chili, and a handful of dried beef."
"Eating all that every day, how is she not fat yet?!"
Little Lang muttered under his breath, reluctantly pulling out a bunch of skewers and placing them on the charcoal grill, fanning the flames with his ancestral fan.
"Who is it?"
Chen Jianhai, sensing the tone, asked curiously.
"It's that woman who said my grilled meat tasted different last time!"
Little Lang fanned the flames while gritting his teeth in frustration.
"Other customers come every now and then, but this woman comes every day,"
"Every time she comes and finds out I didn't grill the meat myself, she makes a scene. Every time, I have to personally bring out the skewers."
Chen Jianhai: "There's such a picky customer?!"
Little Lang nodded resentfully: "Yes, that's the word!!"
"Picky!"
"Extremely picky!"
Chen Jianhai was intrigued.
Whether it was because his staff handled things well or his hotel was just lucky,
he had never encountered such a difficult customer before.
"Point her out to me later. I want to see this for myself."
"Sure!"
About twenty minutes later, Chen Jianhai followed Little Lang into the BBQ hall.
As soon as they reached the third floor, they saw a red-haired girl sitting at a table, quietly peeling garlic while holding her phone.
"This girl is something else!"
Chen Jianhai clicked his tongue, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
It was peak hours at Little Lang's East Sea Dragon Palace BBQ,
and every table was filled with groups of three to five friends enjoying their meal. The smallest group had at least two people.
But this girl had a large table all to herself, and she looked completely unfazed.
She was clearly no ordinary person.
"That's what I call picky!"
Little Lang carefully corrected Chen Jianhai's choice of words, took a deep breath, and walked over with the skewers.
"Table A154,"
"20 lamb skewers, 10 beef brisket skewers, 6 vegetable rolls, 12 chicken hearts without chili, and a handful of dried beef."
"Your order is complete. Enjoy."
Little Lang placed the dishes on the table, feeling a mix of frustration and resignation.
Back at his old BBQ joint in Nanjiang, he used to grill and serve the food himself.
After all, the place was small, and he could manage it alone.
But now that he owned the East Sea Dragon Palace, he still had to grill and serve the food himself, which was downright frustrating.
Little Lang turned to leave, but the red-haired girl spoke up:
"Have you eaten lunch yet?"
"I can't finish all this by myself. Why don't you join me?"
Little Lang paused, turned around sharply, and looked at the girl suspiciously, wondering what trick this picky customer was up to now.
The red-haired girl rested her chin on one hand and held up a perfectly peeled garlic clove with the other.
"I even peeled the garlic for you~ Want to join me?"
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
After a brief five seconds,
"Crazy."
Little Lang shook his head and walked away.