Chapter 15: For One Small Smile
Pretty soon, Lucas and Cici were on the carousel.
Cici sat on a white painted carousel horse, both little hands clutching the pole in front of her. The horse was painted with gold patterns, bulbs glowing in rings beneath the canopy, while music spilled down from overhead with that sweet, bustling sound only amusement parks had.
"Cici, hold on tight, okay?"
Lucas sat beside her, his body angled slightly toward her, his eyes never leaving her. Even if Cici lost her grip, he could reach out and steady her right away.
"Mhm!"
Cici nodded, then looked at him very seriously.
"Daddy, you be careful too."
Lucas smiled.
"Okay. Daddy’ll listen to Cici."
The music grew louder, and the carousel slowly began to move. The horses rose and dipped, and the colored lights and passing figures turned with them. Cici was a little nervous at first, but after a while, she burst into giggles, her hair swaying lightly in the breeze.
Lucas watched her laugh, and something stirred in his chest.
"System, does this count as riding a horse?"
The system answered quickly.
[Host, even if it counts as riding a horse, it probably won’t keep spinning for five minutes.]
Lucas glanced around and didn’t get his hopes up.
Three minutes later, the music stopped, and the carousel slowly came to a halt.
The system stayed quiet.
Cici, though, wasn’t disappointed at all. As soon as she got down from the horse, she pointed off to the side.
"Daddy, let’s go ride the bumper cars."
Her little face shone with excitement.
"I played with Mommy before. Bumper cars are super fun."
Lucas’s eyes lit up.
Bumper cars were cars too.
He had a driver’s license, but he’d gotten it during summer break after his sophomore year of college. After passing the test, he’d barely touched a steering wheel. That license had sat in his wallet so long it had less weight than a membership card.
"How long is each ride?" Lucas asked the ride attendant.
The attendant glanced at him.
"Ten minutes."
Ten minutes.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lucas handed over a few ride tickets.
When Cici climbed into the bumper car, both little hands grabbed the small steering wheel in front of her. Her feet didn’t even reach the floor. Lucas sat beside her, buckled her seat belt, then checked that the door was firmly shut.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
"Here we go!"
The bumper car quickly shot forward.
It actually wasn’t very fast, but to Cici, it was already thrilling. She laughed as she turned the steering wheel wildly. The car wobbled forward, bumping into the padded guardrail now and then before gently bouncing back.
Lucas held the wheel and guided her around the cars ahead.
At first, he was still a little rusty. His turns were slow, and his sense of distance wasn’t very accurate. A blue bumper car came in from the left. He meant to steer around it, but the front of their car still bumped into it.
Bang.
Cici laughed even louder.
"Daddy, we crashed!"
"It crashed into us."
Lucas corrected her with a perfectly serious face.
Five minutes later, the system’s voice rang out.
[Host, your driving skill is beginning to improve.]
[After ten hours, it will reach Master level.]
[After twenty hours, it will reach Grandmaster level.]
Lucas’s hands grew steadier.
The steering wheel that had felt stiff just a moment ago now seemed much lighter. The car’s turning, speed, and inertia all started coming clear. He didn’t have to stare so hard anymore; he could tell ahead of time where they would crash and where they could slip past.
The change wasn’t dramatic.
But it was useful.
He would definitely have to buy a car eventually. Taking Cici out, buying groceries, going to the doctor, going to the amusement park—everything would be much more convenient. He couldn’t keep holding Cici on the roadside in the wind and rain, waiting for a car.
And if no ride came, that would be even worse.
When the ten minutes were up, the bumper car stopped.
Cici still hadn’t had enough. Her hands were still gripping the steering wheel.
Lucas lowered his head and asked her, "Cici, do you want to ride again?"
"Yes, yes!"
Cici nodded at once.
"Daddy, I want to ride two more times."
"Sure."
Lucas took her for two more rounds.
After three rides, half an hour had passed. Lucas’s control over the steering wheel was clearly much smoother now. A few more chances like this, and he’d at least be able to drive like someone experienced. If he practiced a little more, maybe he could even get a feel for something like racing.
Of course, he had no plans to become a racer.
Driving was for making life easier with a kid.
After leaving the bumper car area, Lucas carried Cici along one of the park’s paths. There were cotton candy stands nearby, along with little stalls for ring toss, basketball shots, and shooting balloons. A wall of balloons hung across a row of wooden boards, bright and colorful, with prizes of different sizes displayed beside it.
Cici’s gaze caught on something right away.
Lucas followed her line of sight.
"Cici, want to try shooting?"
He pointed at the balloon wall.
"If we hit the balloons, we might win one of those stuffed animals."
Cici looked over the prizes, and her eyes immediately locked onto a rainbow unicorn at the very top.
The unicorn had a colorful mane and a white body, hanging in the most eye-catching spot.
"Daddy, you do it."
Cici pointed at it, smiling sweetly.
"I want that rainbow unicorn. The rainbow unicorn is looking at me. Heehee."
Lucas nodded.
"Okay."
He set Cici down to the side and had her stand outside the safety line.
"Daddy will definitely win it for you."
The booth worker handed Lucas a toy gun, then pointed at the balloons on the wall.
Lucas raised the gun, aimed for a long while, then pulled the trigger.
Bang.
He missed.
The second shot grazed the edge.
The third shot still went wide.
Lucas didn’t rush. He fired slowly, taking five minutes to finish the round. In the end, his score still wasn’t enough to win the rainbow unicorn.
But right then, the system’s voice rang out.
[Host, your shooting skill is beginning to improve.]
[After ten hours, shooting skill will reach Master level.]
As the voice fell silent, Lucas’s fingers adjusted slightly around the gun.
The sights that had all looked about the same before now had more detail. If he raised the barrel a little, where would the shot drift? If his wrist shook, how far would the shot go off course? How should he steady himself as he pulled the trigger? Clear answers began forming in his mind.
Lucas lowered the gun and looked at Cici.
"Cici, Daddy didn’t get it this time."
He kissed her little cheek.
"Daddy’ll keep going. Today, I’m definitely getting you that rainbow unicorn."
Cici nodded hard.
"Okay. Daddy can definitely do it."
