Chapter 58 Friendship is Magic

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It may sound harsh, but like many mothers, Yue He felt a natural sense of amusement when her own pig started rooting around the cabbage patch—especially since the other party was a well-mannered young lady. However, she treated these two children only with a playful attitude, not truly hoping for anything to develop between them; after all, they were still young. After watching them sneakily for a while, she saw clearly there was no sign of early romance.

After expressing some disdain at her son’s passive behavior on the carousel, Yue He moved elsewhere. Sitting on a bench in the Fantasy Aquarium, she gazed wistfully at a cluster of jellyfish in the tank, her thoughts drifting back to the past. How fast time flew—it had been more than ten years since her first visit here. The amusement park had changed a lot yet somehow remained the same.

This place was like a grand performance, replaying the same scenes day after day. For occasional visitors, it was fresh, a place where everyone greedily absorbed the dopamine drained from their daily lives. But what about the workers who sold this happiness?

“Looking back, it seems you’ve never truly been happy,” she murmured, her left hand gripping the gap between the bench slats. Leaning back, she sighed. Sometimes she wondered if she was too harsh on herself.

She sat silently, habitually observing passersby and imagining their lives—until a sudden commotion interrupted her thoughts. Something had happened outside the aquarium; an invisible tension spread through the crowd, prompting whispers and a gradual exodus.

Frowning with concern, Yue He followed the crowd outside, catching snippets of conversation.

“...Seems there’s been an accident...”

“What should we do? There are so many people...”

She caught up with a passerby and asked what had happened. The person pointed upward, and she looked in the direction indicated.

“The Ferris wheel is stuck. I heard there was a big spark, then it froze in place.”

A bad feeling surged in Yue He’s chest as she fumbled for her phone. She called as she hurried toward the Ferris wheel, but couldn’t get through to Fu Linxing. It wasn’t poor signal; no one was answering.

Looking up at the stalled Ferris wheel, she tried to spot Fu Linxing among the faces pressed against the windows, but the wheel was so high that even the fifth cabin was difficult to see clearly from below.

A cordon tape blocked off the Ferris wheel’s base, with many onlookers craning their necks and taking photos. Families of trapped riders crowded near the barrier, emotions running high.

“Do you even have an emergency plan?”

“My daughter and her family of four are up there! Will you take responsibility if something happens?”

“Why won’t you let my child down? Their cabin is only three meters off the ground—can’t they be rescued?”

The staff, overwhelmed, explained, “The Ferris wheel must remain balanced, so we can’t unload cabins arbitrarily. Our experts are formulating a rescue order and have notified the fire department. Please—”

Spotting Yue He trying to cross the barricade, an employee hurriedly stopped her. “Ma’am, please don’t enter; it will interfere with rescue operations.”

“I just want to confirm if my son is on there,” Yue He said, pointing to the locker, “or could you help me check? His phone might be inside the bag.”

Fu Linxing had brought a shoulder bag today, mainly for snacks. His phone was usually in his pocket, but since they weren’t allowed to bring food on board, he’d stored the bag in the locker and might have left the phone inside as well. This was the only possibility Yue He could think of.

But the staff could only shake their heads and apologize before returning to deal with other anxious relatives. There were so many family members gathered here, plus numerous visitors trapped on the Ferris wheel, no time for special favors.

Yue He understood the situation and stepped back, finding a spot to watch anxiously near the base. Only the two lowest cabins had been allowed to disembark; everyone else remained trapped.

Several technicians near the control panel shook their heads repeatedly. Two teams were pulling ropes looped over the wheel, attempting to manually rotate the upper cabins down. But they soon gave up, looking equally helpless.

Yue He’s heart tightened further. This accident was no simple malfunction.

Her phone suddenly rang—it wasn’t Fu Linxing but an unfamiliar number. She hurriedly answered.

“Hello, Aunt He, I borrowed a classmate’s phone to call you. I have to tell you something—try not to panic...” Fu Linxing’s voice came through.

“Are you on the Ferris wheel?” Yue He asked anxiously.

“Yeah, you guessed right... They don’t allow food on board, so I put the bag in the locker. I forgot my phone was in there too. I was afraid to lose it, so I just stashed it away... Did you call me a lot?”

“I knew it!” Yue He stomped her foot in frustration but didn’t blame him now. “Which cabin are you in?”

“Near the top, I think.”

Yue He glanced up, her heart in her throat.

Suppressing her panic, she instructed, “Stay still, don’t open the door yourself, wait patiently for rescue, and don’t shake the cabin.”

“Got it. It’s pretty stable up here, luckily no wind today.”

“And your classmate? Are they okay?”

Tao Zizi’s calm voice interjected, “I’m fine too, please don’t worry, Auntie.”

“That’s good... Linxing, take care of each other. The staff are working on it; everything will be fine. Don’t talk too much now—save your phone’s battery for emergencies.”

Despite her worries, Yue He chose to be rational and ended the call.

She watched the rescue efforts. It wasn’t a power outage or motor failure; the axle had jammed. Workers pointed at one of the drive wheels, discussing heatedly, sending a man up on a safety rope to inspect.

Soon, fire trucks arrived. Relatives surged forward, begging firefighters to quickly use ladders to bring people down.

But the firefighters’ response matched the park’s: reckless rescue was not advised, as it could unbalance the Ferris wheel, causing sudden movement or other dangers.

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The best plan remained to restore operation and help the trapped riders exit normally.

Several firefighters moved away from the crowd to consult quietly with park officials. Yue He, standing apart, overheard part of their conversation.

“You’re saying the ladder only reaches 53 meters?”

“Yes, still over twenty meters short of the top cabin. We’d have to climb the steel cables to reach it. Each person rescued requires at least three team members for safe descent.”

“That makes high-altitude rescue much more difficult…”

“So we have to fix the wheel—that’s the fallback plan.”

Yue He gripped her phone tighter, which vibrated again. This time it was a call from Fu Lan. Hesitating, she answered.

“Are you and Xiao Fu at Happy Valley? Did something happen? I saw fire and ambulance vehicles heading there,” Fu Lan spoke quickly.

“Yes, the Ferris wheel stalled. They’re working on a solution.”

“Where’s Xiao Fu? Why won’t his phone answer? Is he on the wheel?”

“He is. I told you he’s with a classmate. He just borrowed their phone to check in. Things are stable for now.”

Fu Lan sighed in relief. “Good. I’m nearby handling something and already on my way. I’ll be there soon.”

Startled, Yue He repeated quietly, “You’re coming?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

“...Okay.”

After hanging up, Yue He felt calmer and continued watching the rescue progress.

...

On the Ferris wheel, Fu Linxing returned the phone to Tao Zizi. Following cabin announcements, they sat facing each other to maintain balance.

Though they already sat face to face, their wide-eyed staring made for an awkward silence. Better than sitting side by side, Fu Linxing thought—that would be too much.

At first, screams echoed from other cabins, but after several announcements, the outside grew quiet. Since the accident wasn’t too dangerous, yelling and struggling would waste energy and increase risk; better to wait patiently.

Honestly, an accident on a gentle ride like a Ferris wheel was far better than on a roller coaster. Being trapped high up was scary, but not truly life-threatening.

The weather was fine, adding no extra difficulty to rescue.

Still, as time passed, the fear of being trapped in a confined high space began to gnaw coldly over their limbs and nerves.

Fu Linxing assumed Tao Zizi, being so calm, wouldn’t mind, but as if fulfilling a task assigned by his mother, he asked anyway:

“Are you scared?”

She shook her head, then nodded.

“Meaning...?”

“They say in danger, people confuse adrenaline from fear with attraction, leading to romantic feelings for companions,” Tao Zizi said, looking into his eyes.

Fu Linxing stammered, “Uh... you…”

He braced himself for whatever she’d say next.

“I’m not afraid of this accident,” she answered solemnly, “but judging by your earlier behavior, you seem resistant to the idea of me liking you. To rule that out, I’m labeling my racing heart as fear.”

“Let’s talk about something else,” Fu Linxing said, exasperated by her eccentricity.

On the bright side, waiting with Tao Zizi made the rescue time less unbearable.

Well, somewhat less...

“Oh,” Tao Zizi held up her phone, “Auntie said your dad’s nearby and arriving soon.”

Fu Linxing read the message, a mix of emotions flooding him.

His long-planned emergency call to his parents had come true in a wrong time and way.

Tao Zizi looked out the window, expressionless. Seeing his parents’ concern for him, he wondered if she felt lonely.

Then he saw her start taking off clothes.

“What are you doing!” he shouted.

“Hot,” Tao Zizi said, removing her knitted sweater, folding it neatly beside her thigh, fanning herself with her shirt collar.

Fu Linxing mumbled an embarrassed “Oh,” regretting his overreaction.

The cabin, fully exposed to the sun, was like a steamy oven despite ventilation grilles.

He regretted following the staff’s rules too strictly, not bringing even a bottle of water.

Her actions only made him thirstier, so he averted his gaze.

After a while, something in his peripheral vision felt off. Turning, he saw Tao Zizi removing her tie and undoing her shirt buttons!

“Stop that!” he shouted.

She obeyed but said, “Really hot.”

“Even if it’s hot, you can’t take it all off!”

“I’m wearing a bra,” she said seriously, then suddenly understood. “Oh, I get what you mean. It’s actually a good way to compensate for reckless bravery.”

She buttoned up again, sweat streaming down her neck, soaking the shirt.

Fu Linxing’s brow twitched. “How do you know what I’m thinking? The point is don’t undress randomly. Even if I close my eyes, the cameras are watching!”

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“True, I forgot about that,” Tao Zizi finally settled down and started studying the surveillance.

Fu Linxing exhaled deeply, then blinked, his face suddenly flushing.

To ease the awkwardness, he craned his neck to look toward the Ferris wheel’s center. “Have they found the fault? Hurry and fix it.”

Tao Zizi also looked back.

Two technicians had been tinkering with the drive wheel for a long time. Finally, they waved downward, picked up walkie-talkies to report repairs, then rappelled down on safety ropes.

The Ferris wheel trembled slightly and resumed rotation.

Fu Linxing wiped his brow, almost hearing cheers from all around. “Finally saved...” He slumped back in his seat.

Bang!

A terrifying crack echoed along the support, spreading throughout the Ferris wheel.

For a moment, all was still. Those who had just been celebrating froze.

“Attention passengers inside the cabins! Hold on tight immediately—” The broadcast cut off in the middle of a sentence amid a burst of noise.

Tao Zizi stood abruptly, frowning as she stared at the wheel’s center.

Fu Linxing also rose but was pushed back down by her before he could see what was wrong.

Multiple grinding noises sounded, like a chorus of monstrous birds wailing.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Linxing asked anxiously.

“There’s still a hidden danger. It shouldn’t have been restarted so soon,” Tao Zizi said, still watching away from him. “The Ferris wheel might collapse.”

“Ah! Then we—”

“Fu, are we friends?” Tao Zizi turned to him, gripping his shoulders firmly, her tone serious.

“Are you asking this now? With everything happening?”

“This is exactly when I have to ask. If you don’t answer, we’ll die. Everyone up here, and the people below, could die.”

Fu Linxing knew she was right. The cabin was already tilting amid the dreadful sounds.

But what did friendship have to do with that?

“Your parents are down there too,” Tao Zizi squeezed harder.

Fu Linxing no longer hesitated. Though he didn’t understand her insistence, he shouted, “We are friends!”

Suddenly Tao Zizi smiled—the first time he’d ever seen her smile.

It felt dreamlike; everything slowed, bathed in shimmering light.

She leaned close, a trace of regret in her eyes. “I didn’t intend for things between us to progress this fast.”

Before Fu Linxing could react, she pulled out a wet wipe from somewhere and pressed it to his face. Darkness engulfed him as he fainted.

In that instant, Tao Zizi judged her position, ensuring she was between the camera and Fu Linxing.

She glanced at the camera.

Though the broadcast had cut off, there was no sign from indicator lights whether the surveillance was still working.

She spared only a quick look, not wasting time to verify further, and decisively pulled out her transformation device.

A flash of light filled the cabin, blending with the sparks flying around the Ferris wheel.

A magical girl, dressed in a yellow skirt and black cape, stood in the tilting cabin, her shining golden hair outshining the sun.

Her gaze pierced through the cabin’s barriers, locking onto the fractured main axle.

“I’ve never dealt with something this big before. It’s tough...” she smiled faintly. “Luckily, I’ve upgraded, empowered by the power of friendship. Now, I’m terrifyingly strong.”

She raised her wand; at its tip appeared a golden ball of lightning.

“Time for a big electric weld!”

The massive orb of sparks exploded at the Ferris wheel’s center, melting and fusing the broken axle back together.

Hundreds of people witnessed the dazzling sparks without being blinded or burned.

Yet the magical girl squinted, her hand gripping the wand trembling with exertion.

“It’s still not enough... Maybe because I’m not recognized? Ha... I was a bit too eager. But with a little more effort, even I can—”

The already unbalanced structure couldn’t bear the wheel’s weight. The barely mended joint cracked again.

The girl gritted her teeth, persisting.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice echoed in her mind.

[Hey kid, you’re using electricity magic, right?]

She quickly realized another magical girl was communicating telepathically.

Reinforcements?

No time to think. She replied mentally: [Yes! But the Ferris wheel is so tilted I can’t control it!]

[Bad luck. We have to do it this obvious way... But no choice. Watch the timing—I’ll help you.]

Several hundred meters away in a forest, Xian Lin stood with her eyes closed. Though the leaves beside her were still, she seemed surrounded by a storm, her pure white princess gown fluttering wildly.

She waved her right hand forward, resting on her chest.

“Gravity, deploy.”