She's a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist's Halo-Chapter 167

That night, Lin Anran slept with her mother.

Though she often shared a bed with her mother and younger sister, tonight felt different.

They weren’t at home but in a hotel.

Lin Anran had thought the unfamiliar environment might keep her awake, but with her mother beside her, she slept soundly.

Before dawn, she faintly heard her mother’s voice.

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead. We’re going to see the flag-raising ceremony."

"Dad’s already up."

Still groggy, Lin Anran nuzzled into her mother’s embrace, lingering for a while until Lin Lu finally had to dress her herself.

"Mom!"

She wasn’t really a child anymore, so with a mix of embarrassment and urgency, Lin Anran quickly washed her face.

By the time she and her mother stepped out, her father was already waiting outside, a backpack slung over his shoulder.

Lin Anran pressed her lips together. "What about my sister?"

"She’s too little. Your godparents are watching her while she sleeps."

The three hurried downstairs. The elevator was filled with other drowsy tourists, all rushing toward Tiananmen Square. Just getting through security would take a while.

It was only 4 a.m., yet crowds were already moving in the same direction—some with elderly parents, others with children.

Yan stood by the window, peering through the curtains at the scattered groups leaving the hotel, then tiptoed back to the bed.

She and Jue Jue had taken over babysitting duties in Brother Fan’s suite, where Little An An was fast asleep.

At just under two years old, Little An An, according to Brother Fan and Sister Lu’s experience, was hard to put down at night but would sleep straight through once she dozed off.

She had fallen asleep at 10 p.m. the previous night and, barring any surprises, wouldn’t wake until 6 or 7 a.m.

Yan stifled a yawn. She and Jue Jue lay on either side of Little An An, careful not to disturb her. They didn’t dare use their phones, afraid the screen’s glow might wake her.

Ever ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍since meeting An’an the day before, Yan and Jue Jue had felt something was off.

The girl’s little bag seemed packed with everything she owned, and the heart-shaped sunglasses she never took off looked like a last-minute purchase.

Especially when An’an mentioned she had come to the capital to see the flag-raising ceremony.

Yan’s suspicion grew.

This kind of fixation felt like something from childhood.

As a native of Ning City, Yan had no strong feelings about the flag-raising ceremony.

But back when she was little, playing with friends at her grandparents’ factory in the northeast, she’d often hear things like:

"My mom said if I do well on my finals, she’ll take me to Beijing to see the flag-raising and climb the Great Wall."

Or, when classmates chatted after holidays:

"My uncle’s family visited this summer, and we all got up at dawn to watch the ceremony with my cousin. Ugh, it’s a yearly tradition."

Yan didn’t know An’an’s past, but she guessed this might have been a family trip that never happened.

And now, the girl had suddenly come—perhaps because she sensed her time was running out.

Or maybe she wanted to slip away quietly, without troubling her parents.

So when booking the hotel, Yan had reserved two suites without hesitation.

In her message to Brother Fan and Sister Lu, she kept it simple:

[Yan]: I think you should come.

Their reply made her smile. freewebnσvel.cøm

"At the airport."

Of course. Parents were always more attuned to their child’s sudden whims than anyone else.

Yan had checked the flag-raising time: 5:35 a.m. By the time the family returned to the hotel after the ceremony, it was 6:30.

Breakfast had just started. To avoid waking the baby with the door, Yan messaged them to eat first before switching shifts.

"The breakfast here is just okay," Yan whispered to Jue Jue.

They’d booked the most expensive suite, but the meal didn’t match the price.

Zhu Jue nodded in agreement.

"Eat up. Who knows where they’ll want to go today."

With a toddler in tow and most Ning City attractions requiring tickets booked a week in advance—especially at the tail end of summer vacation, where slots were snatched up the second they dropped—planning was tricky.

"If we skip the big-name spots like the Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace, or National Museum, there are still plenty of options: craft museums, smaller galleries, former residences, or even the Temple of Heaven and Fragrant Hills," Yan mused.

With a family of four arriving last-minute and a two-year-old in the mix, intense outdoor activities were off the table. Air-conditioned indoors were the way to go.

The two caught some more sleep, and by the time they woke, the family had already taken Little An An out for the day’s "adventure."

Nowhere was safer than this neighborhood—next door was the Police Museum, and beyond that, the Supreme People’s Court.

After checking out, they avoided the morning rush. Though Lin Fan and Lin Lu had arrived in a hurry, they’d already arranged the next hotel and transportation.

"Our plan’s pretty loose," Lin Lu explained. "We didn’t prepare much, and attractions are packed. Tickets are hard to get, so we’ll just go wherever we can."

"With the baby, we’ll probably only manage one spot a day. We’ll switch hotels, grab lunch, then explore nearby in the afternoon."

Yan and Jue Jue nodded. In Ning City, cramming in sights meant a grueling "special forces" itinerary. But with time and money to spare, a leisurely approach worked fine.

After all, every corner here was steeped in history—just some were more famous than others.

The group had lunch at the new hotel’s restaurant. After a short nap, they strolled into the Temple of Heaven Park.

While crowds clustered around the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Echo Wall, the rest of the park was quieter.

Little An An insisted on walking, so the adults hovered close, keeping watch.

They spent the afternoon trailing the toddler. As closing time neared and the crowds thinned, Lin Anran followed Yan’s timing advice to snap some perfect photos.

Yan and Jue Jue took family portraits for the four of them—blue skies, white clouds, the scenery just right.

Day three’s plan was the Craft Museum.

Yan and Jue Jue promptly decided to call for backup.

Traveling with kids was exhausting for the whole family. Even if the child could walk, parents still ended up carrying them half the time, their arms turning to steel from the strain.

To give An’an more time with her parents, Yan and Jue Jue took charge of Little An An.

After a full day at the Temple of Heaven… well, reinforcements were needed.

Little An An had more than one godfather, after all. Why not put them to work?

First to arrive was Uncle Xiao, also based in Ning City.

Soon, the rest of the 414 male dorm crew trickled in, and the family trip squad grew larger.

The more people, the lighter the load—childcare duties spread thin across the group.

"We're gaining precious parenting experience at such a young age," Chu Shen remarked while holding Little An An.

When their goddaughter wanted to leave, she absolutely refused to be carried. Conversely, when she didn’t want to leave, she insisted on being held—prompting the group of men to take turns carrying her.

The entourage moved in a grand procession, resembling a small tour group.

Since Little An An was too young for some temples, the trip unexpectedly turned into a tour of niche museums—the Coin Museum, Printing Museum, Architecture Museum, and Xiangshan Park, visiting one place each day.

The most exhausting day was undoubtedly hiking Xiangshan. Unfortunately, it wasn’t yet autumn, so there weren’t many red leaves. The cable cars there had no protective coverings, so the group didn’t climb too high, taking breaks as they enjoyed the summer scenery.

It was on this day that Lin Anran suggested going home.

Though she cherished the time with her parents, she felt it was selfish to keep everyone here just for her sake.

Her mother had to wake up early or stay up late to handle work, and Lin Anran had already selfishly enjoyed several carefree days—that was enough.

Her parents disagreed, but it was her godmother Yan who suddenly proposed:

"Let’s go to Ning City Amusement Park?"

"Bingbing said we should use those ten VIP passes soon—the number of people we have now is perfect. If we don’t use them, they’ll expire."

"No point wasting them."

These passes were a gift from Chu Bingbing’s extravagant New Year’s package deal, but they had gone unused because they couldn’t gather enough people.

She had even considered giving them away in a Weibo giveaway, but when Yan mentioned everyone was in Ning City, she immediately urged them to redeem the VIP experience.

"Then let’s go? None of us have been there before."

"Yeah, Ning City’s park is probably better suited for us than Bin City’s."

The godfathers chattered excitedly, quickly settling on the trip to Ning City Amusement Park.

Lin Anran didn’t object.

She had never been to an amusement park before.

The day before the trip, they went shopping on the park’s main boulevard—buying magic wands and robes for the next day’s costume fun.

The VIP treatment began with an exclusive breakfast. Normally, one VIP could bring five or six guests, but since Yan’s group—including Little An An—had ten people, two staff members were assigned to guide them.

Little An An sat in a park-provided stroller, pushed in turns by her godfathers.

They had dedicated photo spots, skipped lines through staff-only entrances, and even used backstage shortcuts—leaving Chu Shen utterly amazed.

When it came to rides, they could pick any seat they wanted.

"I thought we’d just get FastPasses, but this is straight-up backdoor privileges," Yuan Ye remarked.

"Didn’t expect this—this is the power of money," Ye Ping’an marveled.

They watched as "No Entry" signs were bypassed, walking through shortcuts for every attraction.

Yan and Jue Jue had visited the park multiple times before, so they teamed up with Uncle Xiao—who wasn’t particularly interested in rides—to take care of Little An An, accompanying her on the carousel, teacups, and a leisurely river cruise.

With Uncle Xiao around, the two felt like parenting was a breeze—so easy!

"Brother Xiao, you really don’t want to try any rides?" Yan asked.

Xiao Qingnang shook his head. "No."

"Brother Xiao, you’re not afraid of heights, right?" Jue Jue pressed.

Xiao Qingnang paused, then chuckled. "Probably not."

"I just think… the first time experiencing something should be the most memorable."

Yan and Jue Jue immediately understood.

Because it was a special experience, he wanted to share it with someone special.

Yan dramatically mimed eating dog food.

"I’m full."

"Pretty sure I’m the one eating your dog food," Xiao Qingnang retorted, now well-versed in modern slang, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Thanks to the VIP perks, they breezed through the entire park in no time, capping it off with a lavish lunch.

Even after the VIP service ended, they received extra FastPasses—though now they had to navigate the park on their own.

Lin Anran was clearly having the time of her life, finally shedding her cumbersome magic robe.

"Yan, I want to ride that again," she said, tugging at Yan’s sleeve.

Though Yan wasn’t sure why An’an had chosen her, she happily obliged.

The short roller coaster wasn’t too high or long, and with FastPass, they didn’t have to wait.

"Godmother," Lin Anran suddenly spoke up.

Yan instinctively replied, "Hmm?"

The next second, her steps faltered slightly, though she kept her expression neutral.

"Thank you… and my godfathers," Lin Anran murmured softly as they walked through the empty queue railings.

"We didn’t do anything. We just tagged along for free food and fun," Yan said.

"Sister Lu and Brother Fan were already on their way when you arrived at Wangfujing," Yan added, glancing at An’an.

Lin Anran froze, then lowered her head slightly.

"I don’t know… what will happen after I go back," she said, her voice hoarse.

"What kind of person will I become?"

"Whatever kind is fine," Yan replied cheerfully.

"Does that sound like a cop-out answer?"

Lin Anran hesitated, then nodded. Their pace was steady as they climbed the stairs to the ride’s boarding area.

"I mean it," Yan said.

"Most parents just want their kids to grow up safe and healthy."

"Sure, some hope for their children to ‘soar like dragons or phoenixes’—including our own parents."

"But trends change. In the past, factory jobs and government positions were the dream. Then came the wave of entrepreneurs during the reforms. Now it’s tech giants or stable government jobs again."

"No one can predict the future or whether they’ll be favored by the times."

They settled into the roller coaster seats, buckling their safety harnesses.

The ride creaked forward slowly.

"On this unknown path, all you can do is hold onto what you have," Yan said, gripping the handlebar.

"Sometimes you climb slowly… and sometimes you plummet without warning."

The roller coaster shot upward, then twisted into a sudden drop.

Screams and laughter—some sounding like honking geese—filled their ears.

"But when it’s over, you realize—it wasn’t so bad after all."

The fifty-second ride ended in a blink, gliding to a stop.

They stepped out, heading for the exit.

"We fear the unknown, but we’re never afraid of what we already have."

"The future is uncertain, but some things never change," Yan said softly.

As they walked out, they saw Lin Fan waving at his daughter.

Lin Anran pursed her lips but quickened her pace without thinking.

Yan smiled, her eyes curving.

"An’an, do you remember how many turns we just took on that ride?" she asked.

"Eh?" Lin Anran blinked in surprise.

A second later, she shook her head honestly.

"It's too fast, I don't know."

"Not knowing is just fine. I don’t know either," Yan declared matter-of-factly.

Lin Anran looked at her in surprise.

"Let’s just pretend we’ve already walked through all the detours."

"An An, from now on, the road ahead will be smooth."

Yan’s godmother’s voice was gentle yet firm.

Lin Anran responded with a muffled "Mm," her voice thick with emotion.

...

The day after their visit to Ning City Amusement Park, the Lin family of four returned to Bin City, concluding their trip.

Seven days later, while Yan and Jue Jue were at home packing for the new semester, they received a message from the Lin couple.

Lin Anran was missing.

There was no trace of her on the home security cameras or the ones outside.

A living, breathing person had vanished without a trace—just as mysteriously as she had first appeared.

The couple searched their daughter’s room. Most of her belongings were still there, but the gifts exchanged during the godparent ceremony were gone.

Even the patchwork bag made from hundred-family cloth seemed to have been taken.

Only a group photo from their day at Ning City Amusement Park remained on the desk, its back bearing fresh ink.

"Mom, Dad, little sister, godmother, and godfathers,"

"I’ve been very happy."

"Now, it’s time for me to face my own life."