ABT ### Chapter 096: Mr. Pikachu

The park had a variety of trees, creating a colorful display every autumn. Being a weekend, there were more visitors than usual. Inside the park, there were people doing all sorts of activities: tourists from other cities riding horses, local photo studios bringing newlyweds for wedding photos, and groups of guys wandering around checking out girls.

The park's entertainment options were quite limited, featuring outdated attractions like mini trains, bumper cars, and pirate ships. One of the park workers, dressed in a Pikachu costume, was listlessly trying to attract business, though without much success.

However, there was no denying that Gongqing Forest Park had beautiful scenery. And most importantly—the most important thing—the park allowed outdoor barbecues!

The weather was great, and many visitors were enjoying BBQs in the designated area. The birch grove was not far from the main path, and the elevated slope caught people's attention when Zhou Qingyu intermittently tested her violin.

Initially, a few students enjoying skewers noticed Zhou Qingyu standing on the slope.

"What’s going on? Is she practicing the violin?"

"That girl has a great figure! Too bad she's wearing a mask, can't see her face."

"Come on, it's not just great, it's perfect!"

"Wow, does China have such a hot violinist? Never heard of her."

"Let's go check it out!"

"Hey, what about our BBQ?"

"Are you stupid? We can eat BBQ anytime, but we don't get to see a beauty like this every day!"

"Damn, when did you start making so much sense? Let's go!"

They threw their skewers onto the table and ran towards Zhou Qingyu. Other curious visitors followed their gaze… and soon another group ran over.

Then the third group, and the fourth group...

Eventually, Zhou Qingyu was surrounded by a crowd, which kept growing. These skewer-eating, gossip-loving folks kept thickening the crowd.

One guy, adjusting his glasses, managed to squeeze to the front. Just as he was about to get a good look, his girlfriend yanked him back with a fierce grab.

His chubby girlfriend, seeing Zhou Qingyu being the center of attention, was immediately displeased. She grabbed her boyfriend and pulled him in front of her, "Is she pretty?"

The guy stole a glance at Zhou Qingyu, unable to tear his eyes away. "Yeah, she's pretty."

His girlfriend was furious, "You little rascal, where are you looking? Does that skinny chick have a better figure than me?"

She glared at Zhou Qingyu, but after a second look… she couldn't deny it. Alright… her figure is indeed a bit better than mine.

Before being dragged away, the guy took one last longing look at Zhou Qingyu as a memento...

Meanwhile, Zhou Qingyu, having tuned her violin, found herself surrounded by a crowd and felt a bit flustered. Instinctively, she glanced at Li Fanyu, who was mingling with the crowd, pretending to be a spectator. Seeing her look over, he nodded enthusiastically. Zhou Qingyu scrunched her nose, huffed, and ignored him. She placed the violin on her shoulder, her fingers gently touching the strings.

The crowd cheered in anticipation.

"Beauty, it’s okay if you don’t play well. Even if you just stand there, I won't leave!"

"Yeah, beauty, play anything you want, I believe in you!"

"Don’t go after playing! Let’s get to know each other!"

"Can we take a picture together, beauty?"

Zhou Qingyu bit her lip, giving herself a pep talk. But seeing the growing crowd, her hands began to feel stiff.

Seeing Zhou Qingyu's tense body, Li Fanyu sighed inwardly. He tried to put himself in her shoes and realized that if he were asked to perform in public, he would also feel embarrassed. In hindsight, it was indeed a terrible idea...

As Zhou Qingyu stood there without playing, some people grew impatient. Crowds thrive on excitement; even playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" would give them something to talk about. As time passed, the crowd began to urge her on.

"Hurry up, beautiful, I'm growing old here waiting."

"If you don't play the violin, just take off your mask. If you're pretty, we don't need the music!"

"Yeah, come on!"

When people are nervous, they can feel short of breath, weak, and cold, with a racing heart. Zhou Qingyu was experiencing all these symptoms. She had loved the violin as a child, but her mother's insistence had redirected her to dance. Though she hadn't abandoned the violin, she couldn't claim to play exceptionally well. The violin, like dance, required a foundation built from a young age and relentless practice. Over the years, she played out of interest, often figuring out pieces on her own. By professional standards, her playing was far from flawless.

As the crowd urged her on, she looked desperately at Li Fanyu, but a quick scan of the crowd revealed he was gone.

"That bastard! No loyalty!"

Even Zhou Qingyu, with her typically good temper, was infuriated by his disappearance. She felt like a soldier on the front lines, struggling against a sea of enemies after the bugle call, only to turn around and find her comrades had fled.

She bit her lip, holding her violin, unable to decide whether to play or leave. She felt like an egg frying on a hot pan—distressed and helpless.

Just when she couldn't bear the crowd's panda-like gawking any longer, a commotion arose—a yellow, black-spotted Pikachu wobbled through the crowd. The Pikachu pushed its way through, swaggering on its short legs, its lightning-shaped tail swinging adorably and assertively until it reached Zhou Qingyu.

Zhou Qingyu didn't know what to make of it and warily stepped back.

"Don't be scared, it's me." From the small black hole beneath Pikachu's nose, a pair of eyes blinked at her.

"Pfft! What are you doing like this? Where did you get that costume?" Zhou Qingyu almost laughed her mask off.

Li Fanyu wiggled his butt inside the Pikachu costume, straightening the tail. "I bought it for two hundred bucks at the amusement area. You looked so nervous; it's hard to believe you're a model! I'll distract them, you focus on playing."

With that, Mr. Pikachu raised his chubby arm, giving her a thumbs-up.

Then, with a clumsy hop, he turned around and began performing... the Sixth Set of Radio Calisthenics.

In the crowd, a teenager dropped his skewer from his mouth with a "Piaji" onto the ground.


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