Chapter 171. Where Is The Basic Integrity?

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Arc 9: Real World.

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Behind the building, the atmosphere was tense, ready to explode at any moment.

The man wearing a mask frowned. People came up from the left, back, and behind him and surrounded him. He looked up at the person standing directly in front of him.

Two seconds later, that man leaped up, grabbed a sign on the building, and jumped into the open window. His speed far exceeded the limits of human capability.

This all happened in the blink of an eye, no one had time to react, and by the time they tried to take countermeasures, the person had already disappeared.

The men in suits on all three sides felt as if a hand was gripping their necks, lifting them into the air, making it difficult for them to breathe. They dared not struggle and could only hover on the edge of life and death.

Li Yan took one hand out of his pocket, pulled the trigger and one fell to the ground, dead.

Everyone present stared wide-eyed, sweat beading on their backs.

Li Yan sheathed his gun and said expressionlessly, “If the person escapes, you’ll end up like him.”

The sound of footsteps was deafening. Everyone was on high alert. First, they sealed off the building, then checked every single one of the buildings, leaving no stone unturned.

Li Yan leaned against the wall, smoking. His cigarette had a small dark patch, then two, then three. He looked up and saw a white flake swirling in the air—it was snowing.

The phone in his pocket rang, it was a specific ringtone, meant for a specific person.

Li Yan, a cigarette between his fingers, asked, “Are you back?”

Chen You was submitting resumes and looking for a job on his computer. When he got bored, he browsed some forums and found out that it was snowing outside. He then called Li Yan to share the exciting news, saying, “Came back early.”

“The snow is falling so heavily, Mr. Li, have you seen it?”

Li Yan flicked his cigarette, and a small wisp of ash fell at his feet along with the snowflakes, “Hmm.”

Chen You also said he wanted to go back to his home in the afternoon, “My dad has bad legs and can’t walk in the snow. If he accidentally falls, there will be no one by his side, and I’m worried about him.”

Li Yan agreed, “Stay a couple more days and spend time with your dad.”

Chen You was taken aback. These words didn’t seem like they would come out of this man’s mouth. Could something be wrong? Just as he was about to ask, he heard the man say, “I’ll meet with your Dad before the New Year.”

He asked in shock, “So soon?”

“That matter at hand is almost resolved.” Li Yan put a cigarette in his mouth, took a drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke, “Wear more clothes when you go out, and wear a scarf and gloves. If you catch a cold or fever when you return, I won’t agree to it next time.”

Chen You, “…” It’s fucking unreasonable. A cold and fever are like the weather turning into rain or a mother getting married—can I control that?

After hanging up the phone, Chen You turned off the computer, ransacked the bedroom, grabbed his backpack, and went out.

The butler stood at the top of the stairs with his hands at his sides, “Mr. Chen.”

Chen You looked at him, “Butler, will you see me off?”

The butler said, “It’s snowing outside and the wind is strong. The master asked me to tell you that the hats I bought for you are in the second compartment of the wardrobe.”

Chen You’s lips twitched, and he silently went back, pulled a gray hat out of the closet and put it on. He had a problem, he would get a headache whenever he was exposed to wind, feeling half-dead and nothing he did could help. He would only feel better after a good night’s sleep. But he is a man, and he couldn’t possibly be dying from just a little wind, so he always tried to convince himself to ignore it.

“Butler, I’ll take Xiaojin and Laifu with me.”

As Chen You walked, he said, “Could you please help me tidy up their belongings?”

The butler asked, “Will you bring that little snake too?”

Chen You nodded seriously, “Yes, we must treat everyone equally and not let it be misunderstood that it has a lower status than Laifu at home, otherwise its childhood will be unhappy.”

The butler said, “…it’s just a snake.”

Chen You went down the stairs, “You, me, and them, are all species, the same.”

The butler shook his head. Humans are a higher species, and cats and dogs cannot be the same as humans. He didn’t offer much of an opinion on this point.

Everyone has an independent way of thinking, which forms a world that cannot be imposed upon by others.

The snowfall wasn’t heavy, and the ground wasn’t white. It seemed as if Mother Nature, bored, staged this grand magic show, snowflakes vanished the moment they touched the ground, leaving no trace.

Chen You sat in the back seat with a yellow puppy in his lap and a small golden snake on his finger. He felt very rich, stroking the dog’s head one moment and the snake’s head the next, not neglecting either side.

To be honest, he used to have a really bad impression of snakes. When he was a child, he would be so scared when he saw water snakes in the river that he would wet himself. One summer, he was urinating by the vegetable garden. After he finished urinating, he pulled up his pants and found a fiery snake coiled up in the grass, with its head facing his manhood.

Chen You was so scared that his bile almost came out. He ran backwards all the way home and had nightmares for several days in a row, dreaming that a snake opened its mouth and ate his precious thing in one bite. It was terrifying.

Chen You lowered his head and touched the little golden snake. Strangely enough, he wanted it after just seeing a picture, but now that he had actually seen the real thing, he held it in his palm and watched it wrap around his finger in a dependent way. At that moment, he felt no disgust or fear, but rather a lot of happiness.

Perhaps it’s because of its good looks. This golden snake looks like a gold bar from afar and still looks like a gold bar up close. It’s understandable that people like it.

The butler asked if he wanted to buy something.

Chen You said, “Let’s go to xx supermarket. It’s close to my school. I’ll go check on my dorm.”

Upon arriving at the supermarket, Chen You put the dog and snake in the car and asked the butler to look after them. He then rushed off to buy ingredients such as mushrooms, vinegar, and tomato sauce for his father.

The butler sat in the front and looked through the rearview mirror at a dog and a snake on the seat. Judging from the size, the dog clearly had the upper hand, but it was avoiding the snake, showing fear.

With a flick of its tail, the yellow puppy leaped down, its body pressed against the car door. The little golden snake coiled up, its head casually tilted, its golden eyes staring out. From the butler’s perspective, it was indeed somewhat eerie.

Snakes, as reptiles, are far more dangerous than dogs.

After buying what he needed, Chen You got back into the car and got out again less than fifteen minutes later. He went to the dormitory and heard Wang Yao howling in the corridor. Poor thing, he was the only single guy in the dormitory now. He deserved encouragement and comfort.

Wang Yao was playing a game, and the fat on his face was twitching, bouncing in rhythm with the tapping on the keyboard. He was the worst at maneuvering, so he had marked the keys corresponding to several important skills with wax, so that they would have different tactile sensations when touched.

If that kind of dedication, perseverance, and hard work were used to woo girlfriends, he wouldn’t have trouble finding one.

Chen You rummaged through the table, taking some miscellaneous items back with him, “Old Wang, have you settled on a job yet?”

Wang Yao was furiously typing on the keyboard, “Selling fertilizer! I’m just inheriting the family business.”

Chen You rolled his eyes, “Don’t be impoverished.”

Wang Yao pushed the keyboard forward and hung up. He said he might go to H City and that his family had found him a job at the TV station. He had to get in whether he wanted to or not, and he was determined to earn back the tens of thousands of yuan he had spent on finding connections.

Tens of thousands? That much? Chen You clicked his tongue. Finding connections is really expensive these days, but it’s better to be able to find them than to have money but not know where to start. He has neither. No, he has both.

“The TV station is good.”

“The salary isn’t high. It was my Jiu who put in the connections. One of the directors is his classmate.” Wang Yao slumped in his chair, “What about you, Youzi? Are you going to officially enter the entertainment industry and act? Being a star would be great. Once I’m settled with wife and kids, I’ll point to the handsome guys on TV and proudly tell them, ‘Look, this is my classmate, my good buddy, a true friend.’”

Amused by Wang Yao’s description, Chen You laughed heartily, but then sighed, “Acting isn’t that fun. It’s boring to film the same scene over and over again. Besides, my dad’s condition is unstable. Right now, I’m just living one day at a time and don’t dare to think too far ahead.”

He carried the two bags in his hands and said, “I’m leaving now. Call me if you need anything.”

Wang Yao stopped Chen You, “I heard Ren Wu was hospitalized, but she’s alright now, right?”

Chen You said, “Still not awake.”

“No way, what’s wrong with Old Pang…” Wang Yao’s face twitched, “He’s in the game right now. I saw that his location shows he’s in the Land of Ice and Snow. He’s been moving around and flying back and forth. Maybe he’s taking pictures of the snowy scenery.”

Chen You and he said in unison, “Scumbag.”

Wang Yao escorted Chen You downstairs, then bought some tomato and egg noodles to take back to his dormitory, where he remained alone, guarding his small plot of land.

The snow keeps falling, but it maintains its current pace, slowly and leisurely. People who want to wake up tomorrow morning to find the whole world white are getting impatient because the snow is falling so slowly.

When they arrived at the building, Chen You greeted the butler and went into the building.

The butler took out his phone and dialed a number to report, “The person has been dropped, yes, understood.”

As soon as he entered the house, Chen You warmly introduced his Da Didi Laifu and Xiao Didi Xiaojin to his father, hoping that everyone would get along peacefully and not cause any trouble.

Chen Weidong liked local dogs but disliked snakes, so he took Laifu back to his room, leaving Xiaojin, the snake, all alone on the cold living room floor. It crawled and crawled to the kitchen, climbed up the young man’s trouser leg, and stopped on his shoulder, propping up its upper body.

“Why did you come to the kitchen? It smells awful.” Chen You turned and kissed the little snake on the head, “Don’t crawl around like that, it’s dangerous.”

The little snake tilted its head to look at the young man and rubbed its head against him.

A cool sensation ran down his neck, like a block of ice had been placed on it. Chen You shivered, goosebumps rising on his skin, “Put on some clothes, you absolutely have to put on some clothes! Damn, you’re not wearing anything in winter, it’s so cold! Wait here, Xiaojin, I’ll look for something online for you. Ai, I wonder what Li Yan is up to…”

He reached out to call Li Yan, but the caller said the phone was out of service. He tried again a while later, but got the same message.

That’s strange, where did he go…?

In a basement, Li Yan sat in a chair, his long legs crossed, the crimson flame flickering between his fingers. He took a drag of his cigarette, his sharp gaze piercing through the smoke, sweeping over the person on the ground inch by inch.

The man’s mask was removed, revealing a well-defined face. Something had somehow fallen off his pupils, exposing their original color, light gray.

He doesn’t have an asian face, a mixed race, but not like a typical mixed-race person. His facial features are extremely well-proportioned, to the point that they seem to have been carefully measured with a ruler, the data recorded, and then constructed.

There was a bloodstain on the left side of the man’s forehead, with a few strands of hair stuck to it. He had been shot in one leg and one arm, and blood was flowing all over the ground.

Li Yan chuckled, “So you guys are different after all.”

He flicked the cigarette away, the tip of his shoe grinding against it. He stood up from the chair, walked over, raised his leg, and stepped on the man’s leg, pressing heavily on the wound, “Where did you come from?”

The man groaned, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Li Yan removed his foot, then kicked out with all his might the next second, looking down at the other person who was convulsing, “Ren Wu was acting under your orders, and her target was me, wasn’t she?”

The man’s face was tense, every corner of the basement was reflected in his pupils, including the dozen or so people outside.

Li Yan stepped on the man’s leg bone. It sounded like a fantasy that one person could bring another to the brink of death with just a little scent and blood, but it had actually happened. There were many things he was still unsure about, but one thing was certain, Ren Wu could only hurt him through Chen You.

Chen You’s existence is like a line.

Ren Wu’s blood almost cost him his life. For more than half a month, he went through several brushes with death, but ultimately survived.

Blood dripped from the soles of his leather shoes. Li Yan squinted, his eyes half-closed. He didn’t know what he had done that night, he had only felt anger and entered a strange space, surrounded by dense code and data, as if it were a domain.

Ren Wu is no ordinary person, nor is the person in front of him.

Perhaps he was among them.

Li Yan’s patience ran out. He removed his foot from the man’s leg bone, turned around without a word, and walked outside, leaving a trail of bloody shoe prints on the ground.

The sounds of fists and kicks hitting flesh echoed from the basement and continued for a long time.

A man in a suit spat on the ground, sweating profusely, and went out to say, “Sir, the person has passed out.”

Li Yan raised his hand, and the man in the suit retreated away.

Three days later, Li Yan went to the basement again. The stench filled the cramped space and was nauseating. The man on the ground was covered in blood, as if someone had splashed several bottles of red ink on him from head to toe.

“I’ve been thinking about this for the past few days, and I think you might be an organization.”

Li Yan took off his leather gloves and said in a low voice, “Ren Wu is an experiment, and you are her controller.”

He crouched down and patted the man’s face, “What I said, wasn’t it right?”

The man’s eyes were lowered, and strands of hair fell across his forehead, congealed with blood. Everything was blurred by the lingering smell of blood, including the expression on his face.

Li Yan mentioned a name, “Chen You…”

The man’s eyelids twitched slightly, very slightly, but it did not escape Li Yan’s notice. It seemed that the young man was not just a simple person involved in this matter.

“You know Chen You.”

The man remained unmoved, showing no further change.

Li Yan seemed to be in a better mood. He sat down in a chair and said slowly, “Still not saying a word? Then I’ll have to try another method.”

Shortly after, two people in white coats came in and injected the man with a drug.

Li Yan glanced at his watch, “Five minutes.”

Time ticked by, one minute, two minutes, three minutes, five minutes. As soon as the minutes were up, a look of struggle appeared on the man’s face, as if something was eroding his brain. He uttered two words, “Mission (ren wu(homophone))…”

“Ren Wu?”

Li Yan’s gaze was like a knife. After a few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes, he entered that space again.

Just then, the man suddenly opened his eyes, a light flashed in his light gray pupils, all sound disappeared, and he lost consciousness.

Li Yan frowned, his face full of gloom. This was the most troublesome thing he had ever encountered. If he could kill it, he would not have left any survivors that very day.

Once it’s injected into the body, it will actively tear open the deepest corner of a person’s heart within five minutes, rendering even the strongest willpower futile.

It could be used on the person on the ground, but the effect was not ideal, only one name was mentioned.

Li Yan’s aura was gloomy, “Give him another injection.”

A doctor in a white coat said, “Mr. Li, ordinary people can only have a second injection a week later.”

Li Yan said, “One hour.”

The doctor in the white coat hurriedly said, “But doing that could cause the recipient to suffer mental breakdown at best, and self-harm and death at worst…”

His next words were swallowed back down by a cold gaze, and he dared not voice any further objections.

An hour later, a man in a suit rushed to see Li Yan, saying that the person in the basement had disappeared.

Li Yan lifted his eyelids.

The man in the suit swallowed hard, trembling, “I…we were all guarding outside the door, we didn’t leave for a moment. We don’t know how he escaped. No, no, he couldn’t have escaped. There’s only one door, not even a window.”

Li Yan’s voice was icy cold, “Disappeared into thin air?”

The man in the suit’s legs trembled, “It, it should be.” The more he thought about it, the more his scalp tingled. That man not only had gunshot wounds on his arms, but also on his legs, which were severely inflamed and rotting. He had been beaten multiple times and hadn’t had a drop of water for days. After going through that kind of thing, let alone running, it was a question whether he could even stand up.

So what exactly happened? How could a dying person manage to pull off something so unusual in a closed space? A miracle? A ghost!

Li Yan slammed the teacup face down on the table, “Go and search.”

The man in the suit didn’t linger for a second and quickly left.

In a certain district, a man was walking and coughing. He suddenly stopped and said in an alley where he was all alone, “What? Haven’t you had enough of the jokes yet?”

A line of text appeared in the void

【Old 4, all the data in this world is connected to your brain, yet you still got captured. 】

Si Sisi gave a forced smile, “Why don’t you try it and see if you can evade KM’s invasion?”

【No, I don’t want to have any contact with that thing. 】

Si Sisi leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Two bullets from his arm and leg emerged from his flesh, falling to the ground with a crisp sound. He gasped for breath, “Damn!”

【The fact that the main system mobilized data to bring you out means that the higher-ups understand your failure and won’t blame you. This time, they might even grant you more permissions. 】

Si Sisi scoffed. They are probably afraid that if he delayed any longer, his data would be altered by the KM virus carried by Li Yan. They deliberately waited three days before taking action. Wasn’t it because some people were using their position for personal gain and wanted to get rid of him?

KM evolved too quickly, he dared not make a sound, lest the other party discover the entrance and invade his database.

“I don’t care about the permissions, I’m just glad that the bonus is still paid to me as usual.”

【Don’t blame me for not reminding you, you’ve already broken the rules for your lovely host, letting him take things from the mission world. The purpose of this trip is to make amends and destroy KM. Your every move in this world is being monitored by the main system, so don’t do anything stupid, or you’ll have a hard time explaining yourself when you get back. 】

Si Sisi grabbed a strand of hair from his forehead, his hand smeared with blood. A tissue appeared out of thin air in his hand, which he wiped vigorously with disgust, “Get lost if you have nothing else to do.”

【You should just keep your temper in check. You brought this mess on yourself. By the way, the latest software crashed, and KM is threatening the main program. They’re holding an emergency meeting right now, they’re probably furious. 】

【You still have an hour and ten minutes to come back. If you’re bored, just clap your hands and play by yourself. 】

【If the software crashed, just uninstall it. 】

Si Sisi didn’t respond. He rested there for a while, then went somewhere to try his luck.

Less than an hour later, Li Yan received a phone call, and his brows furrowed instantly. He took the coat handed to him by his subordinate and strode out the door.

Two people stood on the open ground by the roadside, one restraining the other, but the atmosphere was strangely devoid of tension.

Chen You was in a terrible mood. He cooked low-sodium dishes at home, and his mouth was so bland that he was thinking of going out to buy a bag of spicy strips to get through the long night. But then he ran into a strange man and was taken hostage.

Isn’t that hilarious? It could easily be the number one joke of the year.

Chen You couldn’t laugh. Damn it, even buying spicy strips these days has such a big risk. His mouth was covered, so he could only make muffled noises, creating a duet with the sound of the wind.

A warm breath sprayed on the back of his neck, and the person behind him moved closer. Chen You felt itchy and shivered. He thought to himself, whether it’s robbing him of money or raping him, they should do something. What’s the point of just covering his mouth like this?

Did I run into a pervert? Does he like to cover people’s mouths and play with them?

A voice rang in Chen You’s ear, “I’ll let go. If you don’t scream, nod in agreement.”

He immediately nodded vigorously, yes, yes, I definitely agree. Anything is better than suffocating.

Before Chen You could catch his breath, his mouth was covered by another hand. “…” Aiyo MF, are you kidding me?

Several young people, men and women ran over from the front, seemingly jogging at night, their speed only slightly faster than walking. They chatted and laughed as they ran, unaware of the two figures in the open space.

Chen You mumbled, they’re all gone now, so you can let go of your hand, right? I promise I won’t yell or scream.

He cursed and muttered, damn it, even if I yelled my lungs out, it wouldn’t make a difference. After those few people, there wasn’t a single dead bird around, let alone any night owls.

With his breathing no longer obstructed and returning to normal, Chen You took deep breaths, only to gasp sharply the next second. Why? The strange man behind him had somehow acquired a flashlight, its light blue, which he pointed directly at his face. The man deliberately lowered his head, his eyes wide open, revealing two light gray pupils. Not only that, but he also stuck out a long tongue, looking exactly like someone hanging upside down.

He glanced at it casually and was startled.

Damn! Chen You wanted to cry. Dude, you’re so perverted and so childish, what am I supposed to do with you? Hmm?

He figured this guy was probably mentally ill, on medication, and had sneaked out of his house because he wasn’t being watched. He figured he might as well play along, after all, even if the other guy killed him, the court might not do anything.

So Chen You gathered his emotions and spoke in a trembling voice, “I’m a good person, the wronged have their grievances, the debtors have their debts, don’t hurt me…”

The blue light disappeared, and darkness returned, accompanied by laughter, “Your acting is still so terrible.”

Chen You, “…” An acquaintance? He frowned. The other person was a head taller than him, with light gray pupils. Such distinctive features would definitely make him memorable. He was certain that he did not have this person in his memory.

Looks like he’s still mentally unstable. Let’s just keep going with the show and treat it as practice to improve his adaptability.

“Acting skills are something you can’t grasp all at once. You have to figure it out slowly. You might look the same for a day or two, but there won’t be much change.”

“It’s the same whether you live one life or two.”

“…” I can’t continue this conversation. His ability to spout nonsense is truly impressive. I wonder which TV series he learned those lines from.

Chen You exhaled another puff of white breath. Strangely enough, his situation should have been very bad, but he felt no unease whatsoever. He was very relaxed, as if he were chatting with an old friend. It was really eerie.

The person on the other end spoke again, “Have you heard of the song 《The Fireworks of Last Winter》?”

Chen You searched through his lyric library and found, “Never heard of it.”

The sound of a car engine came on the wind, and soon the outline of the car could be seen with the help of the headlights shining in front.

Chen You saw the car pull up, the door open, and Li Yan got out and headed straight for his spot. As he got closer, he could see the worry and… panic on the other man’s face.

It felt so real, like the strength of being held tightly in someone’s arms.

Li Yan breathed heavily, his nerve endings, which had been stretched to the limit when he arrived, only relaxed slightly after confirming that the young man in his arms was not injured.

Chen You patted the man on the back, and peeked out, huh? Where did he go?

Li Yan pressed the young man back into his chest, sniffing against the young man’s neck. There was a different scent. His fingers on the young man’s waist tightened, “Why didn’t you shout?”

Chen You was taken aback. Did he know he had encountered a lunatic, which was why he rushed over in such a hurry? But what was with the anger in his voice? He wasn’t having a secret rendezvous with his mistress here.

After briefly recounting what happened, Chen You scratched his face and said, “He’s just a mentally unstable person. He was here a moment ago, and now he’s gone off somewhere to go crazy. It’s dark in the back, so he might have fallen into a pit.”

Li Yan asked in a deep voice, “Did you get a good look at the other person’s face?”

Chen You thought back for a moment, “The pupils were light gray, I didn’t notice anything else.”

Li Yan didn’t ask any more questions. “Go back.”

Chen You said, “I’ll call my dad and tell him.”

He took out his phone and dialed home, “Hey Dad, I won’t be coming home tonight. Okay, Xiaojin is sleeping on my bed, and Laifu is there too. He doesn’t poop or pee anywhere, he knows how to use the toilet. I’ll come back tomorrow morning and take him out for a walk. Don’t go downstairs, there might be heavy snow tonight. Okay, you go to sleep early.”

After finishing his call with his father, Chen You looked up and found the man staring at him, his gaze empty. His breath caught in his throat, “What’s wrong?”

Li Yan withdrew his gaze, “Get in the car.”

For some reason, Chen You felt that the man was in a bad mood, or rather, a very bad mood. It had nothing to do with him, right? They hadn’t seen each other for several days, only communicating by phone and text message. There was no way he could have caused it.

When Chen You got back, he leaned against the windowsill and realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.

He stayed up until late at night, witnessing a silent, heavy snowfall that kept flashing across his vision.

The next morning, Chen You turned over and felt someone watching him. He opened his eyes and met a pair of phoenix eyes. The man was indeed looking at him, and it seemed he had been looking at him for a long time.

Want more? That can’t be right.

Chen You moved back in fear, but a large hand pulled him back to his original position. A voice sounded above his head, “What did you say when you first met me?”

After saying this, Li Yan stared intently at the young man.

Chen You remembered it very clearly, there was no way he could forget, “I said, have we met somewhere before?”

Li Yan’s lips slowly curved upwards, and he smiled, “Yes, I think we’ve met before.”

Chen You immediately asked, “Really? Where?”

Li Yan wrapped his arm around the young man and repeated the words he had just said in a hoarse voice.

Chen You was bewildered. Really? He couldn’t remember anything. Was it from his childhood?

No matter how he asked, Li Yan didn’t seem to have any intention of giving him a detailed explanation.

That evening, Ren Wu’s vital signs disappeared, she was dead.

Although she was an actress without any representative works, Ren Wu had gained a large following of male fans who regard her as a goddess since her personal photos were exposed. 《The Fifth World》 was her first and last drama. There were many related reports, and some even say that the news is fake and that the company is just trying to promote the drama and generate buzz, which is quite regrettable.

Ren Wu has no relatives, and Pang Yilong arranged the funeral which was attended by four of them from their dormitory.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao didn’t have much of a feeling for the other person, since they had only danced together once and had very little contact.

Chen You is a bit different. He acted in a movie with Ren Wu, they have the same idol, they get along well, have eaten together, drunk coffee together, and he even received an autographed CD from her.

After Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao left, Chen You patted Pang Yilong on the shoulder, offering silent comfort, the dead can not be brought back to life, there’s nothing that can be done.

When his mother passed away, he thought that there are countless worlds in the universe, and the number of parallel universes is also incalculable. People who have died may have gone to live in some other world, in some other form, but the people still living in this world don’t know it.

Pang Yilong’s throat was dry, “Youzi, Ren Wu is dead, and I’m not sad at all. What I’m thinking is…” You’re still here, that’s good.

Chen You didn’t hear clearly, “Huh? What?”

Pang Yilong shook his head and said it was nothing.

Chen You mistakenly thought that his friend was too heartbroken and hadn’t recovered yet. He himself was also in a daze, “Old Pang, try to think more positively.”

Pang Yilong looked up and said, “I’m really not sad.”

Chen You still felt his friend was lying, “Then why are you acting like the world is ending?”

“Really?”

Pang Yilong murmured, yes, for me, it’s like the end of the world, “Youzi, can I…”

Chen You’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out to check the text message, “Hmm?”

The next moment, Pang Yilong had already hugged him.

Chen You hadn’t checked his text messages when his friend’s hug disrupted his thoughts, patting each other on the shoulder and putting their arm around each other’s necks was a common occurrence between them.

However, it has never been this tight before. Yes, it was so tight that Chen You was a little caught off guard.

“What are you doing? Damn it, I just bought this down jacket. If you dare to put your snot and tears on it, I’ll never forgive you.”

Before he could even push, Pang Yilong ran away, and ran incredibly fast, as if a mad dog was chasing after him.

The problem is, there were no mad dogs behind, only him.

Chen You pulled his jacket down further, wondering what was going on.

After that day, Pang Yilong never appeared in the group again, didn’t log into the game, didn’t go to his dormitory, and ignored his laptop and other belongings. It was unclear what he was doing.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao were both complaining in the group chat that they hadn’t even graduated yet, and Pang Yilong was already ignoring them.

Chen You typed: Maybe busy at home.

Zheng Shuai: No matter how busy you are, you can’t always stand someone up, right? That’s so unfair.

Wang Yao sent a mischievous emoji: Of course.

Pang Yilong arrived at the last dinner before the New Year, and he started drinking as soon as he sat down at the table.

Wang Yao has decided to go to the TV station, and he said there are several pretty girls in the office. Zheng Shuai is having a good time with the girl he met online, and they’ve already agreed that he’ll bring her home to meet his parents after graduation.

Chen You has a good relationship with Li Yan, his father’s health is not a big problem, and there’s no direct confrontation between Xiaojin and Laifu. Overall, he is living a pretty good life.

So the atmosphere at the dinner table should have been pleasant, but it wasn’t, and the reason lies with Pang Yilong.

The negativity, depression, decadence, and chaos emanating from him ruined the entire table of delicious food.

Chen You and the other two had asked him and tried to persuade him, but to no avail. They could only watch him drink himself to death.

Zheng Shuai, “I’ve never seen Old Pang like this before. Has his family gone bankrupt?”

Wang Yao, “No, he’s doing fine. I even saw a news report about his father today, about his investments.”

Chen You, “Was it caused by Ren Wu’s death?”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao both shook their heads. It can’t be that bad. Back when she was in the hospital, Old Pang was still playing games.

Pang Yilong stood up, reeking of alcohol, and said, “YouYouzi, help me to the restroom.”

Seeing that his friend was swaying and could fall while walking, Chen You helped him to the restroom.

Someone was urinating in the restroom, and left without washing their hands afterward.

Pang Yilong suddenly closed the door, the turbidity in his eyes receding, “Youzi, I’m sorry.”

This situation came suddenly, and Chen You was startled, “Don’t scare me! What did you do?”

Pang Yilong hung his head, “My thoughts are filthy, my heart is ugly, I am not human, fuck, I’m a beast.”

As he said this, there was a heavy breath in his throat, tinged with self-mockery.

At this moment, Chen You vaguely guessed a certain possibility. He did not intend to continue the topic. He only had three XiongDi and did not want to lose any of them, “Old Pang, didn’t you come to pee? If you keep nagging, you’ll wet your pants.”

Pang Yilong suddenly looked up and abruptly asked, “Youzi, are you?”

Chen You feigned ignorance, “What is it?”

Pang Yilong answered himself, “You are. I am really an idiot. You said it to me twice, and I thought you were joking. Haha, mine is a joke.”

Chen You had two causes of headache, the smell of the toilet and his Xiong Di’s wrong turn.

Pang Yilong was still talking, laughing as he spoke, “That time I saw the ring in the internet cafe, both sizes were men’s, and I was so stupid that I didn’t think of it that way. So you’ve been that kind of person for a long time.”

He looked at Chen You and said, “The other one is your boyfriend, right? The one who gave you a hickey?”

Chen You was completely confused, “A ring? What ring?”

Pang Yilong continued, lost in his own thoughts, “It’s that agent, it must be. His motives for getting you to shoot that ad weren’t pure, I should have realized it sooner…”

Chen You then seized on that previous point, “You’re saying I have a ring?”

Pang Yilong clutched his hair and muttered, “What else can I say? It’s all the same no matter what I say.”

As he spoke, he slid down to the ground and fell asleep.

“……”

Chen You then called Zheng Shuai and asked him to take Wang Yao to the restroom to get rid of Pang Yilong, send him home, and also mentioned the ring.

Zheng Shuai said, “Yes, there are two in total. You treasure them.”

Chen You took a breath, “I don’t remember anything at all.”

Zheng Shuai joked, “Youzi, have you lost your memory?”

Chen You said, “Are you kidding me? If I had amnesia, wouldn’t I know?”

That’s not right. He has amnesia, so naturally he wouldn’t know.

Zheng Shuai chuckled, “I think you’ve gone crazy in love.”

Chen You’s mind was in turmoil, “Why haven’t any of you talked to me about the ring?”

Zheng Shuai said, “Before, we would talk about it more than ten times a day, but you would never pay attention to it. You would either touch your ring and talk to yourself, or sigh and be very sad.”

Damn it, I can’t remember a single thing. A complication of depression? Chen You asked, “Do you know where I put the ring?”

Zheng Shuai said, “In the closet.”

Chen You ran back to his dorm and rummaged through the closet. He found two rings lying in the innermost corner.

With his chest heaving, Chen You stared at the rings for a long time before finally reaching into the wardrobe.

The touch is cold and hard, it’s not an illusion.

Chen You stared at the aesthetic ring, trying to unearth forgotten fragments of memory.

But it really didn’t exist. He thought about it until his head was splitting, but it was no use.

Chen You tried putting the ring, which was a size too small, on his ring finger, and to his surprise, it fit perfectly. He murmured, “When did I buy this ring…”

Who is the ring that’s a size bigger for?

Chen You quickly searched online and found information that said certain stimuli could lead to selective amnesia.

Is he one of those cases?

Then Chen You remembered something, so he took a taxi back to Li Yan’s place and, without saying a word, put a ring that was much larger on Li Yan’s ring finger.

Not too loose, not too tight, just right.

Chen You was stunned.

Li Yan was more or less the same, “This ring…”

His voice trailed off, not because he didn’t want to speak, but because he didn’t know where to begin or what to say.

A drop of warm liquid landed on the back of his hand. Li Yan looked up and saw that the young man’s face was covered in tears.

Chen You waved away the man’s outstretched hand and sat down on the sofa, “Don’t worry about me. I don’t know what happened either. My eyes are watery.”

He propped his head up with his hand, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

Did his depression worsen unintentionally? Come to think of it, he hasn’t been taking his medication lately.

Li Yan walked over, pinched the young man’s chin, and wiped his face with a handkerchief, “Alright, stop crying.”

Chen You said no, “Wait a little longer, I haven’t finished crying yet.”

A dark shadow appeared between Li Yan’s brows as he pulled the young man into his arms and patted him gently.

Chen You could cry whenever he wanted, and stop crying just as easily, once the floodgates were closed in his eyes, he was fine.

He went to wash his face, “Mr. Li, could you find me a doctor?”

Li Yan raised an eyebrow, “What for?”

Chen You said, “I may have lost some memories.”

He raised a hand and pointed to the ring on his ring finger, “About this.”

Li Yan said, “Didn’t you buy this?”

“I bought them.” Chen You said, “The one you have is the same. These two are a pair, but I can’t remember when I bought them.”

Li Yan was silent for a few moments, then said, “Think about it slowly.”

Chen You said, “About the doctor…”

Li Yan said, “I will make an appointment, but you have to think about it yourself.”

Chen You said he understood, and then he reached for the ring on the man’s hand, saying, “This ring is silver, it doesn’t suit you.”

Li Yan said, “It suits.”

Watching the man’s retreating figure as he went upstairs, Chen You twitched his lips then thought, forget it, let it be, wear it, he will wear it too. Maybe then he’ll remember.

Chen You turned on the computer and played some music. The song that the stranger had mentioned came to mind, 《The Fireworks of Last Winter》.

“Is this the name?” He thought, searching online on a whim, and sure enough, it appeared.

Chen You has a habit, when he wants to listen to a new song, he will look up the lyrics as soon as possible and listen to them line by line. Doing so makes him more immersed in the song.

After listening to 《The Fireworks of Last Winter》 once, Chen You clicked his tongue and said, it’s really nice. The lyrics are just so-so, like a dialogue.

After listening to it a second time, Chen You started listening to it a third time, “Mr. Li, get me a bag of potato chips.”

Li Yan’s voice came through, “Only sausages.”

“There’s ham sausages? King of Kings brand?” Chen You turned his head with great joy, then slammed the mouse down the next moment.

Holy crap, can you even do this right? Is that a sausage you’re holding? The color is way off, it’s expired!

Where is the basic integrity of being a human being?

Chen You turned his head away, “I don’t want sausages, and potato chips won’t either. Sandwich cookies, pork jerky, or beef jerky will do.”

Li Yan said, “Ham sausage or grilled sausage, choose one.”

Chen You snorted, “I choose to go hungry.”

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