Chapter 118: Extra 18
Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!
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——Part 1: Crystal Man——
White walls, white bed, the irritating scent of disinfectant like polluted water.
Di, di, di…
The heart monitor emitted a monotonous sound.
Chu Feng on the hospital bed stared lifelessly at the blank ceiling.
Back in elementary school, he detested white the most, a color that felt hollow and boring.
During that time, he had a peculiar dream, still vivid in his memory even at the age of twenty-seven. He dreamed he was a crystal man, hollowed out and standing in a snow-white empty box. His head, chest, abdomen—all hollowed out.
But everyone envied him as the most dazzling crystal man.
His parents thought it wasn’t enough, so they threw many light bulbs into the cavity of his head, like depositing coins into a piggy bank. The bulbs accumulated in his belly, the crystal constantly refracting light, which became increasingly dazzling, stabbing into the eyes of onlookers.
They exclaimed louder but looked at him with colder eyes.
In the dream, the crystal man Chu Feng walked, walked, wandered around in the four blank spaces, never able to walk out, until—
He fell down, smashing himself fiercely against the ground, clang, clang, clang!
He shattered, his crystal limbs breaking into several pieces, glittering light bulbs flowing out from the ruptures in his crystal belly. His parents screamed, covering their faces in horror, while people around whispered and scurried away like cockroaches. The crystal man Chu Feng laid fragmented on the ground, laughing wildly.
After that, he had similar dreams several times, but each time he smashed himself on the ground, the cold hard white tiles suddenly turned into a woolen carpet, like a big clump of milky-white cotton candy, gently supporting him like clouds.
The parents monitoring him, the many faceless onlookers, all disappeared. Initially, the crystal man Chu Feng was still resentful as he smashed himself onto it, but instead of causing harm, he sank slightly into the softness of the cotton candy, feeling no pain.
Later, tired of falling, he simply laid down on that cloud and slept deeply.
When he woke up, it was time to go to school. Xie Shiyu would help him eat the unappetizing boiled eggs and exchange them for delicious runny eggs.
As Chu Feng gradually grew up, he never dreamed of being a crystal man again.
The IV drip, drop by drop, entered his frail body. Chu Feng turned his head and saw the Dream City helmet quietly lying on the cabinet beside the hospital bed, like a white corpse.
Inside was a ruined city.
In Chu Feng’s ears, there was a buzzing recollection of the loud explosion, a sound so immense it felt like it had ruptured his eardrums and silenced everything.
—Cold hard white tiles wouldn’t just turn into soft cotton candy for no reason.
In his past life, every time he fell, it was Xie Shiyu who carefully caught him.
For the first time, Chu Feng realized clearly from a rational perspective:
Xie Shiyu was truly gone.
From now on, in his life, there would be no one to catch him. He either caught himself or… shattered.
***
The next day, Chu Feng, who had just struggled back from the brink of death, got out of bed and had someone divert all calls to his parents’ phones to his own for 24 hours.
“Chu Feng’s Mom, about what we talked about last time, have you considered it?”
“What matter?”
There was an obvious pause on the other end, then hesitantly said, “…Chief Chu, it’s you. I heard you… haven’t been well recently and are hospitalized?”
Chu Feng smiled faintly, his face as pale as paper, but his disguised voice full of confidence, “It’s nothing. Chief Li, how did you hear I was in the hospital?”
The other side seemed a bit bewildered, casually said a few words, and hung up.
With Xie Shiyu gone, the vast company was like a fat piece of meat thrown into the wild, each vulture eager to take a bite.
According to the law, all of Xie Shiyu’s property was inherited by him, but he knew he had struggled back from the brink of death. If he hadn’t woken up, Xie Shiyu’s property could be managed by his parents as the spouse was unable to fulfill legal obligations.
His parents were incapable and unwilling to manage such a large company, whatever the price the other party was selling.
Chu Feng got up from the sickbed, with an intravenous drip on one side, making one call after another, confirming personnel changes in the company, who could still be used, and at the same time, opening his laptop, logging into the company’s intranet, checking all work information, and arranging the next countermeasures.
He had lost Xie Shiyu, how could he let those trash people swallow their marital property like this.
Chu Feng was busy without stopping until late at night. During this period, nurses came three times to change his medication bottle and fed him liquid food—he hadn’t eaten for too long and couldn’t eat regular food right away.
After finishing all his work, Chu Feng looked at the laptop screen that had been shut down, reflecting his current appearance. His whole body had lost its shape, more exaggerated than in the game, and his angular skeleton was covered with pale skin.
Tomorrow he would hold a shareholder video conference, he must not attend looking like this.
Chu Feng immediately made a call, spending heavily to book a makeup artist, asking for one thing: to make him look more energetic.
The makeup artist eagerly agreed, feeling lucky to have landed such an easy job with so much money.
When the other party arrived with a full set of makeup tools and saw Chu Feng, she was stunned.
Makeup, change of clothes, and change to a luxurious villa room took five hours. When Chu Feng went online for the video conference, all the shareholders saw the just-widowed CEO, in a high-end suit, showing his face with a confident smile.
There was no trace of sadness or vulnerability in his expression, surprising the shareholders present. How could this person not even act a little?
—The rumor of deep mourning, severe illness, and hospitalization was instantly debunked. These shareholders murmured in their hearts, this CEO Chu might also be an old fox. After so many years of marriage with CEO Xie, perhaps they had already experienced the seven-year itch, tired of each other, and now with CEO Xie’s death, it was a perfect opportunity to inherit the property!
The supposed widow’s great mourning, physical breakdown, and treatment in M country were probably deliberate acts put out for media coverage. CEO Chu might be happily vacationing in Hawaii.
This approach could handle media reports, as well as test how many unruly tricks emerged in the company during his “illness,” allowing him to legitimately clean house upon his return.
A new emperor brings a new set of officials. Everyone present felt a bit uneasy. This President Chu usually had a cold demeanor, and since they didn’t really know him, they couldn’t gauge his intentions, making them somewhat apprehensive.
***
Chu Feng devoted himself to high-intensity work without stopping. Sometimes working late into the night, he would open the drawer in his office and look at the white game helmet inside.
But he only looked and didn’t put it on.
“CEO Chu, here’s your coffee,” the secretary knocked on the door and entered. Chu Feng nodded. He closed the drawer again, locking the ruined city away in the dark corner.
***
Patient train’s condition continued to improve.
Few patients returned from the brink of death. The first word train said upon awakening was “train,” which amused the doctors. Sample 8873 was renamed Train.
Train is currently the best sample for recovery. The nurse closely monitored him, recording valuable data.
One day, Xie Shiyu saw the short, brown-haired nurse again, and she was wearing a headset. He had seen this headset before; the doctor had removed it from his head when he first woke up, and it seemed to be related to a game.
His data was recorded every hour, and in the middle of each hour, this nurse would secretly wear the headset to slack off and play games during her shift.
Today, the nurse began her slacking off session again. Forty-five minutes later, she suddenly yanked off the headset and swore, “F*ck!” It seemed she had encountered a difficult level in the game that she had been stuck on for several days.
Xie Shiyu reached out his hand and said, “I try.”
The nurse was startled. To her, it was a bit creepy that a heavily bandaged patient was asking to play her game. She shook her head.
Xie Shiyu spoke in English, “Just ten seconds.”
Ten seconds? The nurse gave him a look that said, “You’re bluffing.” She had been playing for two weeks and couldn’t manage to pick the Rainbow Flower in the Forest. This flower was a must-pick item in every player’s Dream City. It only bloomed this month and was guarded by various monsters. Once the season ended, it would be gone for good. Other sneaky players would add friends just to steal flowers from their cities.
She had spent half a month trying every method but still couldn’t pick the flower. The forums were full of players cursing the game developers for making it so hard. And now this bandaged patient claimed he could do it in ten seconds?
Xie Shiyu insisted, “I can use my own headset. Just ten seconds.”
The nurse hesitated for a moment, then handed him the headset used for brainwave therapy, saying, “Just ten seconds. I’ll invite you to my Dream City.”
For the first time, Xie Shiyu officially entered this holographic game:
**Welcome to Dream City**
**Loading…**
Soon, Xie Shiyu was in the game. He tried running and jumping, and his movements were very agile. His character had no equipment, and his ID was blank: “To Be Filled.”
“It’s in the forest over there,” the nurse said, showing him a leather-bound guidebook. “There are two beasts guarding it, four slugs, and you have to watch out for the man-eating flowers that pop up… But seriously, with no equipment and no money to spend, do you really think you can do it?”
The nurse suddenly rattled off a bunch of English with an Irish accent, which Xie Shiyu didn’t fully understand. But confident, he gestured, “No problem,” and charged into the forest.
The nurse watched his back and laughed to herself. A naive newbie unafraid of death, rushing in like that would surely get him beaten up and kicked out by the beasts.
Nine seconds later, a notification popped up:
**Friendly reminder: Your Rainbow Flower in the Forest has been picked.**
The nurse: ?!!
A few seconds later, the newcomer with no equipment and an empty ID walked out of the forest, calmly holding her Rainbow Flower, surrounded by a rainbow glow.
“Oh my god!!” The nurse exclaimed in amazement. “You’re so strong! How did you do it…”
Before she could finish, another notification sounded:
**Your Rainbow Flower in the Forest has been placed in the game backpack by ID: To Be Filled.**
The nurse: ?
Wait, what’s going on? Placing the flower in the game backpack meant it had been claimed as his own. Did she just get robbed?
The next second, she saw the new patient extending his hand towards her:
“Money.”
The nurse: “…”
—
Xie Shiyu earned his first bit of money since waking up. It wasn’t much, and the nurse didn’t mind. She even gave him a lot of information about Dream City. Over time, Xie Shiyu began to understand her Irish-accented English better.
From his perspective, Dream City was a game with high commercial value. Once the drug trials ended, the medical institution would no longer support him for free and would send him away. Since he had no relatives or friends, he needed to find a way to survive on his own.
This drug had only saved his life. His burn injuries, facial disfigurement, leg disabilities, and potential side effects all needed further treatment. Additionally, the common language here was French, though English might work if the other person spoke it. He needed to overcome the language barrier and figure out how to get a temporary residence permit on this Pacific island. After that, he had to find accommodation.
Lying in the hospital bed, Xie Shiyu planned his future. Every day, apart from receiving injections, taking medication, and undergoing surgery, he laid on his bed with the gaming headset on, researching Dream City. It was currently the most suitable way for him to make a living.
—
“Well… you’re recovering quite well.” The blonde doctor reviewed Xie Shiyu’s data from the past week. “I can’t say whether your good recovery is due to our medication or your own strong will.”
For most patients, losing their memory, being alone, being unable to walk due to leg injuries, or suffering severe burns and disfigurement would be devastating. Many patients become suicidal or have psychological issues, feeling life is unbearable, especially after seeing their disfigured scars when the bandages are removed, looking like a monster that even they want to scream at.
But Train never lost control of his emotions, never showed any suicidal tendencies, and didn’t cry or feel sad even though he had no relatives visiting him. The thick needle injections that made other patients cry out in pain didn’t elicit a sound from him.
The doctor found this unusual and asked Train if he had any beliefs supporting him.
Xie Shiyu didn’t nod or shake his head. He wasn’t sure himself, but he had one thought in his mind:
He had to stay alive.
As long as he lived, there was hope. If he died, there would be nothing.
—
One month later
Wrapped in bandages, Xie Shiyu sat on his hospital bed. He borrowed a small laptop from the nurse and logged into the Dream City player forum.
Log in – Forum – Link Dream City account—
**Account ID cannot be empty.**
Xie Shiyu paused.
He had been playing for a month, and his game account ID was still empty.
He returned to the previous screen, where the cursor blinked in the account ID field. Staring at the keyboard, he saw the 26 letters…
One letter seemed familiar to him. After thinking for a moment, he typed into the ID field:
X
Soon, an account named “x” posted a new thread: [Beginner’s Guide]
Thus began the era of the greatest god in Dream City, known as “x”.
—
“Dear passengers, the train is approaching H City.”
“Please prepare to disembark. The train will stop briefly…”
Familiar scenery passed by the window; he was home.
Returning from S City, Chu Feng picked up his luggage and followed the crowd off the train.
Leaving the air-conditioned train, he was hit by the sweltering air. The dense crowd surged, squeezing at the escalator entrance. Carrying his small amount of luggage, Chu Feng took the nearby stairs.
Walking up a slope, following the usual path to the south exit of the station, beep—identity card checked, passing through the gate…
As Chu Feng emerged, he immediately spotted a tall figure.
Wearing a black t-shirt, shorts, sandals—very ordinary attire for an average person, but also sporting sunglasses, a duckbill cap, and a mask, his face concealed tightly, resembling a suspicious figure sneaking around.
The security guard beside the station exit glanced at this guy a few times. Chu Feng walked over with a smile and grabbed the suspicious figure.
“Why are you here? Didn’t we agree you’d wait for me at home?” Chu Feng teased.
Xie Shiyu hugged his wife who was returning home like a plush bear.
He had been too much in the media spotlight recently, so when going out, he had to dress like a criminal. Xie Shiyu buried his head lightly in Chu Feng’s neck and rubbed it gently.
“…Missed you.”
Same-sex marriage had been legal for ten years now, and people around them hurried past without casting any extra glances.
“Too cheesy, no?” Chu Feng poked Xie Shiyu’s left shoulder. “Let go first, I’m hungry. Let’s hurry home for dinner.”
Xie Shiyu released his grip, picked up Chu Feng’s luggage, and as they walked, he leaned over and asked with a voice only they could hear, teasingly:
“Which mouth’s hungry?”
Chu Feng gave him a look and then leaned closer, linking arms with Xie Shiyu very lightly and softly replied:
“Both.”
***
During the evening rush hour, the entire city was gridlocked. Xie Shiyu and Chu Feng entered the subway station. When the train arrived, the doors dinged open, and they were pushed into the carriage amidst the sardine-like crowd.
Xie Shiyu quickly grabbed onto a metal pole for support and pulled Chu Feng close to steady him. The train started moving, and they were so packed in that there was no room to even budge.
The scorching carbon dioxide in the air was overpowering the air conditioning. Xie Shiyu, wearing a mask, was sweating profusely but didn’t dare remove it for fear of being recognized.
Chu Feng leaned against his chest as they swayed slightly with the train’s movements. Compared to the Xie Shiyu seen under the spotlights, wearing high-end tailored suits, exuding elegance and noble charm, Chu Feng preferred the current Xie Shiyu. Squished in an ordinary subway, wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, sweating from the heat. But here, amidst the crowded subway, they could hold each other, their body heat blending together.
The train clattered along its route. The perfect CEO Xie, always accessible on video, was a public figure, but this version of Xie Shiyu, standing in the subway, belonged solely to Chu Feng.
Leaning against Xie Shiyu’s chest, Chu Feng stealthily slipped his arm around him where others couldn’t see.
“What’s up?” Xie Shiyu asked, looking down at him. “Want to nap on me? We still have forty minutes before we get home.”
Chu Feng murmured a weak acknowledgment, his voice as soft as a kitten’s. Xie Shiyu reached out and touched his forehead:
“Are you too tired? You don’t look too well.”
“I’m okay,” Chu Feng said, pausing before adding, “I had a nightmare on the train.”
“You fell asleep on the train?” Xie Shiyu tightened his hold on Chu Feng. “What kind of nightmare?”
Chu Feng replied, “I dreamt that I fell from a great height.”
Falling dreams are common nightmares. Xie Shiyu remembered reading on a dream interpretation site that such dreams might indicate anxiety or feelings of helplessness. He was about to ask Chu Feng if he had been stressed lately…
Chu Feng moved slightly, seeming a bit embarrassed. His voice, muffled against Xie Shiyu’s chest, was adorably soft:
“But, you caught me.”
Once upon a time, there was a crystal man who always wanted to shatter himself. Then, he met a soft, fluffy cloud, and together, they went home.
Part 2 ——18 years old——
On Christmas Eve, Xie Shiyu went to Chu Feng’s house to do homework.
As they walked home from school, they saw a tall Christmas tree standing in front of the department store in the distance, adorned with stars, moons, pretty little lights, and various people’s wish papers. In the southern winter, there was no snow, but every breath felt bone-chillingly cold, as if tiny ice crystals were entering their bodies and freezing them from the inside out.
Chu Feng’s face was wrapped in a woolen scarf, his hand held by Xie Shiyu and tucked into Xie Shiyu’s uniform pocket. He pulled the scarf tighter, wanting to burrow entirely into the warmth of the cashmere.
“Is it really that cold?” Xie Shiyu exhaled a breath of white air, smiling at Chu Feng, who looked like a small animal peeking out from its burrow, eager to retreat back into its warm nest.
Chu Feng, who had turned eighteen two weeks ago, remained silent. After a while, he looked at the couples openly hugging under the Christmas tree and moved his hand in Xie Shiyu’s palm.
“What’s wrong?” Xie Shiyu asked, feeling Chu Feng’s soft, cool fingertips brushing against his palm like a kitten licking his hand.
“Tonight… my parents aren’t home,” Chu Feng said softly.
Xie Shiyu nodded and hummed in acknowledgment. Of course, he knew Chu Feng’s parents weren’t home. If they were, he wouldn’t have been able to go to Chu Feng’s house to do homework.
They walked on in the usual quiet, rustling sounds accompanying their steps. Chu Feng remained silent, not saying a word. Suddenly, he withdrew his hand from Xie Shiyu’s grasp and put it back in his own uniform pocket.
In the quiet moment that followed, eighteen-year-old Xie Shiyu replayed Chu Feng’s earlier words in his mind and suddenly realized their meaning. He leaned closer, a smile playing in his eyes.
“Chu Feng, were you hinting at something just now?”
“No!” Chu Feng buried his face deeper into his woolen scarf, urging Xie Shiyu, “Hurry up, let’s go do our homework.”
Beep—
When Chu Feng unlocked the door to his house, Xie Shiyu stood close behind him, his body heat seeping through his uniform. Chu Feng paused and picked up their conversation from where they had left off on the way home.
“My parents… won’t be back until the day after tomorrow.”
“So, we can do our homework tomorrow instead?”
Eighteen-year-old Xie Shiyu reached out and played with Chu Feng’s soft, dark hair like a wolf toying with a lamb.
“Why don’t we do something else tonight?”
The icy winter wind blew through the hallway, prompting a chase for warmth. Lamb Chu Feng, snug in his thick scarf, responded softly.
“…Okay.”
Bang—
The door shut immediately. Xie Shiyu pulled Chu Feng inside, pressing him against the door, holding his wrists to prevent him from struggling, and kissed him gently. The scarf fell, and their coats were undone.
“…Mmh.”
A hand snuck under Chu Feng’s sweater. Chu Feng shivered and shrugged his shoulders. Xie Shiyu held him close and asked softly:
“Why are you so cold?”
Chu Feng shook his head, saying he didn’t know, and burrowed into Xie Shiyu’s embrace. After a moment, he asked:
“Do you… know how?”
Xie Shiyu chuckled. “I know the basics.”
Thick clothing fell away like leaves from a tree in winter, trailing into the bedroom. Their bodies intertwined like vines meeting spring, clinging tightly to each other.
As they passed the dressing room, Xie Shiyu suddenly paused as if he had remembered something he was missing. Chu Feng, with reddened ears, quickly grabbed a jar of white moisturizing cream from the shelf and handed it to Xie Shiyu.
“Use… use this,” he said.
Xie Shiyu kissed Chu Feng on the cheek, then picked him up with one arm, opened the bedroom door, and lifted the warm down comforter to wrap the cold-sensitive Chu Feng, ensuring he wouldn’t catch a chill.
Lying in the bed, Chu Feng opened a corner of the blanket and invited Xie Shiyu to join him. Outside, night had fallen, and the world was noisy, filled with the jingling bells singing “Merry Christmas.” As they huddled together under the covers, Chu Feng couldn’t see what Xie Shiyu was doing. He gripped the soft pillow beneath him tightly.
“A little scared?” Xie Shiyu asked softly, kissing Chu Feng’s eyelashes gently.
Chu Feng was a bit afraid of the pain, but he didn’t want to admit it now. He shook his head, clung to Xie Shiyu’s shoulder and back, and tried to focus on nothing but the moment, insisting he wasn’t scared.
Soon, Chu Feng felt like a snowman melting in the warm spring breeze, turning into a clear pool of water. Xie Shiyu kissed his treasured love gently, feeling Chu Feng nestle fully into his embrace, trusting him completely. Chu Feng’s soft sounds were like the faint mews of a kitten.
Dark desires roiled in Xie Shiyu’s heart, but he held them back with immense self-control. After a long while, he gently kissed Chu Feng’s forehead.
“Are you alright?”
Chu Feng nodded. The cold-sensitive boy was now flushed and warm, having melted like a little snowman twice, blending with the warm spring river and the gentle east wind.
Bang— The well-used moisturizer rolled onto the floor, its jar nearly empty, spinning and rolling under the bed.
Neither of them paid attention. In the end, Chu Feng laid on his pillow, a slight sweat on his forehead. This was the first time he wanted to kick off the blankets in winter.
Xie Shiyu laid beside him, surprisingly not sweating much. Watching his expression, Chu Feng felt like Xie Shiyu had been enduring something silently.
“What’s wrong?” Chu Feng asked curiously.
Xie Shiyu hadn’t planned to say anything, but hearing this question made it hard for him to resist:
“Chu Feng, have you… gotten a bit more used to it?” Xie Shiyu asked.
Chu Feng: ?
Xie Shiyu: “Can I… go further?”
Chu Feng: ??
The bulging blanket lifted up a bit.
Xie Shiyu: “This is all of it.”
Chu Feng screamed and immediately covered his mouth. The gentle spring breeze ripped off its disguise, turning into a fierce storm. The little snowman was blown into the wind, violently tossed up and down.
He was like a lamb chased by a wolf, hiding inside the sheepfold. Even though he kept crying to go out, go out! The fierce wolf slowly broke through all defenses and snatched the lamb, devouring it.
Early morning, 03:48
The wolf licked its paws contentedly, releasing the little lamb.
Chu Feng’s cheeks, neck, ears were all red, even his eyes were reddened from crying. Xie Shiyu kissed his neck tenderly:
“Are you okay?”
Chu Feng gave him a roll of the eye and didn’t want to speak. Xie Shiyu chuckled a few times, then lifted Chu Feng in his arms and took him for a hot bath.
The water splashed…
During the bath, Chu Feng seized the opportunity to bite Xie Shiyu hard, but he was too weak. He left only a shallow bite mark on Xie Shiyu’s neck, causing Xie Shiyu to laugh twice.
Chu Feng’s voice was completely hoarse, unable to curse effectively. He used his hand to write on Xie Shiyu’s arm, cursing him: pervert, lecher, inhuman… It took him a while to finish each curse, and each time Xie Shiyu would lower his head to kiss him.
“Okay, don’t be angry anymore. Are you hungry? Do you want to eat supper?”
Chu Feng continued writing: “What supper! It’s almost breakfast time!”
The fair fingertips traced over the skin, slightly tickling, like a kitten’s claws gently scratching. Xie Shiyu leaned over with an ambiguous smile:
“My dear, if you keep writing, you might wake up and it’ll be lunchtime.”
Chu Feng immediately withdrew his hand, looking incredulously at Xie Shiyu: “You can still…?”
——You’re really not human!
Xie Shiyu smiled and didn’t answer. He carried Chu Feng out of the bathroom and glanced at the clock in the living room: 04:13. His tone was somewhat apologetic:
“Sorry about today, are you tired?”
Chu Feng turned his face into Xie Shiyu’s chest, refusing to acknowledge him.
Xie Shiyu carefully carried Chu Feng back to the bedroom, wrapped him in the down comforter, and poured a glass of water, meticulously feeding it to him. After finishing, Xie Shiyu turned to tidy up the room when he suddenly felt a warmth around his waist—
Chu Feng had wrapped his arms around Xie Shiyu’s waist and, with a hoarse voice, said, “Let’s… sleep first.”
—We can clean up after we wake up.
Xie Shiyu knew Chu Feng was concerned about him, so he smiled and slipped into the warm bed, holding Chu Feng tightly.
The world outside was quiet, with the Christmas tree full of wishes standing far away on the street.
—Two months ago, his mother passed away from stomach cancer.
Xie Shiyu closed his eyes, holding the only person left in the world who was closest to him, breathing in sync as he fell into a deep sleep…
15 minutes later
Just as Chu Feng was about to fall asleep, he suddenly felt the space next to him empty!
Xie Shiyu abruptly sat up from his “deathbed,” jumped out of bed, and turned on the light.
Click, the night receded as bright white light filled the bedroom. The drowsy Chu Feng protested, “Xie Shiyu… what are you doing…”
“Chu Feng, Chu Feng! Do you remember the white jar you gave me? Do you know what it’s for?”
“I don’t know…” Chu Feng mumbled sleepily, completely unaware of why Xie Shiyu was suddenly fixated on this. “I just grabbed it randomly… it’s for moisturizing, I think.”
Xie Shiyu’s voice was a bit urgent, “Do you remember what was written on it?”
Chu Feng was speechless, “I don’t remember, does it matter? I think it said something like m… b, sheep oil… moisturizing cream.”
“Are you sure… it was mb?” Xie Shiyu’s expression froze, feeling a worse premonition.
Chu Feng gradually became more awake, sensing that something might really be wrong; otherwise, Xie Shiyu wouldn’t be acting like this.
Soon, Xie Shiyu found the small white jar under the bed: it was nearly emptied.
Xie Shiyu immediately opened his phone, used the Taobao app, and took a picture to search for the product…
Chu Feng leaned in to look as well, and soon, the screen showed the same product:
La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream 100ml
Price: 4,250 yuan
Chu Feng: “……”
Xie Shiyu: “……”
Many years later, they could still vividly recall how extravagantly they had spent that Christmas night when they were eighteen.
Part 3 —— The Melancholy of Little Xie at Ten Years Old——
“Class, quiet down and listen up. There is an essay reading competition in the city… QUIET!! Will you die if you don’t talk?!!” The female teacher on the stage suddenly raised her voice, making the elementary students fall silent.
“Each of you is truly stubborn! You won’t listen unless I scold you!”
After a brief silence, Teacher Meng, the third-grade homeroom teacher, softened her tone and continued, “Okay, I’ll have the class representative write the essay requirements on the blackboard. Each of you must write one at home and submit it next Monday. Now, let’s start the lesson. Turn to page…”
Ding-ling—ding-ling—the bell rang, signaling the end of class.
“Class dismissed. Don’t run around; the next class is still Chinese.” Teacher Meng added, “Oh, Chu Feng and the class representative, come here. There’s a poetry competition…”
In the back row, Little Shiyu was bored, playing with his pencil, watching as little Chu Feng, who was seated in the middle, stood up and went to the office with the teacher.
Since second grade, when Chu Feng’s parents found out they were desk mates, Teacher Meng had moved Little Shiyu to the back row, leaving Chu Feng in the middle.
“Memorable Relatives…”
Little Shiyu laid on his desk, staring at the essay requirements on the blackboard: Mom and Dad, grandparents, siblings—relatives are the ones who accompany us the longest as we grow. Do any of them leave a deep impression on you? Choose one relative to write about, create your own title, and reflect a profound theme.
Little Shiyu yawned, uninterested. He planned to write about an imagined younger brother based on Chu Feng and hand it in.
“The winners of this competition will be awarded the Golden Star, Silver Star, and New Star prizes. Students with star awards can advance to the provincial essay reading competition and win a one-day trip to Disney Park in S City and a three-day, three-night stay at the Shangri-La Hotel…”
“Wow!”
The kids around him read the rewards on the blackboard and exclaimed in amazement.
“But this is too hard; we won’t get it. Let’s just write something and hand it in.” The classmates put their arms around each other and headed to the hallway to play. “By the way, where are we going for the practical class next week…”
They joked and walked away while Little Shiyu sat alone at his desk, lifting his head: Free amusement park, luxury hotel… he had never been to either.
With Chu Feng’s level, he would probably win the Golden Star prize. If… if Little Shiyu could also win, even just the New Star prize, he could go with Chu Feng…
Ever since they were separated as desk mates, they had less and less time to play together. Lately, Chu Feng had been busy with competitions, and as soon as class ended, the teacher would call him to the office.
Finally, when school was over, Chu Feng’s parents would come to pick him up. Little Shiyu counted on his fingers; it had been 10 days, 21 hours, 57 minutes, and 38 seconds… 39 seconds since he had played with Chu Feng.
If this continued, would Chu Feng slowly drift away from him? Would he stop playing and talking with him?
Little Shiyu felt a surge of uncontrollable anxiety.
Even at ten years old, he understood that childhood friends often drift apart as they grow up. It was normal. Besides, he was used to having no one to play with since kindergarten. Whether Chu Feng paid attention to him or not shouldn’t matter.
—He shouldn’t be this restless.
Lying on the desk, Little Shiyu wore an expression of indifference, as if he didn’t care whether Chu Feng talked to him or not, looking like a wilted little plant.
—
[My Little Brother: Xie Mufeng]
Grade 3 (1) Class, Xie Shiyu
Teacher Meng smiled, “You made this up, didn’t you?”
Little Shiyu felt a bit embarrassed.
Teacher Meng sighed. She didn’t expect much from a student like Xie Shiyu to write an award-winning essay. She waved her hand dismissively, “Alright, you can go back.”
But the boy didn’t move.
Teacher Meng frowned, “Why are you still here?”
It was the first time Little Shiyu lingered in the teacher’s office. He felt a bit uneasy, “Teacher Meng… could you help me revise my essay?”
Teacher Meng felt weary. She was busy; the old leader had asked her to organize another event, some anti-drug campaign, and it was tied to the quarterly evaluation. She was already stressed and had no time to help a struggling student revise an essay. She was about to refuse when the little boy, who ranked at the bottom of the class, brazenly said:
“I want to win the New Star prize.”
—
Pfft.
Teacher Meng burst into laughter but quickly composed herself, “Xie Shiyu, writing must be based on facts. Genuine emotions make a good essay. If you keep making things up, not only won’t you win, but you won’t even pass! Go rewrite it!”
***
“100 Perfect Essays by Elementary Students”
Ten-year-old Xie Shiyu borrowed a book on essay writing and studied it diligently, whether in math, English, or Chinese classes. After observing the award-winning essays, he decided to write about “My Mother,” celebrating maternal love.
“Xie Shiyu, Xie Shiyu!! Stand up and repeat what I just said!”
Xie Shiyu: “……”
Teacher Meng waved her hand from the podium, “Go out and stand outside.”
Xie Shiyu’s lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something in defense, but in the end, he swallowed his words. He silently packed up his books and walked out through the back door.
His classmates around giggled. Bam—
Teacher Meng slapped the podium hard, “Who’s laughing? Who’s laughing! I warn you, anyone who’s not paying attention in class can leave with him!”
“Now, let me repeat. Next week’s practical class, we will visit a military base to see helicopters…”
The students in the class gasped in admiration! Xie Shiyu froze in the corridor; practical classes were usually about playing with mud or observing insects. Visiting a helicopter? He had never heard of such a practical class…
“This opportunity was secured by Chu Feng’s dad for us. Everyone must cherish it and not embarrass our class…”
The classmates cast their admiring gazes towards Chu Feng’s empty seat.
A small seat, empty.
“Everyone knows that these months have been filled with many competitions. Chu Feng is now representing our school in the elementary school math competition… Everyone should learn from him! Let’s start the class…”
Ten-year-old Chu Feng had been busy with competitions for the past three months.
Third grade was about to reach a crucial point: class division.
If he couldn’t get first place in all the competitions, when it came time to divide the classes, his parents would use their connections to move Xie Shiyu to another class.
Facing this unreasonable demand at a young age, Chu Feng devised a strategy: if he could get first place in all the competitions, Xie Shiyu and he would both be placed in the best class.
His parents agreed, though they didn’t really believe Chu Feng could achieve first place in everything; after all, competitions were different from regular exams.
Chu Feng sat at his desk, constantly reciting. He had just finished the math competition today, and next up were the poetry competition, English speech competition, essay recitation competition… He spun like a little top, hoping not to be separated from his best friend.
It had been a long time since he last played with Xie Shiyu.
Lately, his parents seemed to have a lot of free time, always coming to pick him up after school, preventing him from walking with Xie Shiyu or sneaking over to his house to play…
Chu Feng shook his head, shaking off these distractions from his studies, and focused on preparing for the next competition…
“My Mother”
Teacher Meng looked at the revised essay Xie Shiyu handed in and sighed deeply.
The essay didn’t use the structures discussed in class, nor did it have excellent phrases or sentences. The rhetorical devices like parallelism and personification weren’t employed correctly either.
She shook her head, “No, if you want to submit an assignment, that’s fine, but this… definitely won’t win any awards. Writing about your mother isn’t wrong, but the theme of maternal love is too common. At least seventy out of a hundred essays are about maternal love. It’s hard to stand out and capture attention…”
Xie Shiyu pursed his lips, looking a bit lost.
Teacher Meng suddenly remembered the task she had been assigned: the drug prevention campaign.
This child in front of her…
She changed the subject and said gently, “Actually, Xie Shiyu, the teacher knows you’re very smart. If you write again, you’ll surely make progress. But for this writing, you must choose the right starting point.”
Little Shiyu felt that the teacher seemed to be hinting at something, but she didn’t explicitly say it.
Teacher Meng was afraid he didn’t understand, so she continued, “Try to find a unique angle that only you have. In fact, there are many unique qualities about you that other students don’t have.”
At first, it sounded like a compliment, but the clever Little Shiyu followed the teacher’s gaze and saw the drug prevention slogan outside the corridor: “Cherish Life, Stay Away from Drugs.”
Little Shiyu’s body stiffened momentarily.
Teacher Meng continued, “Actually, your father could be a good starting point, it’s very real. Instead of writing about the worn-out topic of motherly love, this approach can immediately catch the judges’ attention. Don’t you want to win the New Star of Writing?”
Little Shiyu remained silent like a clam.
This silence made Teacher Meng somewhat displeased. “Go back and think about it carefully. If you still want to submit an essay, remember to bring it to me for revisions early. The deadline is approaching…”
***
Practical class.
The military base, a large helicopter, appeared before their eyes.
The classmates looked around discreetly, with exclamations of admiration echoing. Chu Feng was surrounded by his classmates, becoming the most popular child. His father stood beside him in a suit and glasses, looking like a refined and successful socialite.
Little Shiyu couldn’t squeeze into the circle and was silently excluded, wandering around on his own.
The military green wings of the helicopter spread out in the vast exhibition hall, like a trapped eagle.
Twenty minutes later.
The circle around Chu Feng finally dispersed.
As the children gradually dispersed, no one blocked their view anymore. When Chu Feng looked up, he saw Little Shiyu standing not far away.
They hadn’t spoken in a long time.
They looked at each other, and Little Shiyu smiled first. He waved to Chu Feng, about to step forward…
But Chu Feng saw an adult standing behind Little Shiyu.
Chu Feng’s father had a serious expression. Seeing the problem child from a drug-using family seemed to be heading towards his son, his brow furrowed slightly.
In the next moment, Little Shiyu saw Chu Feng casually turning his face away as if he hadn’t seen him at all. He turned to talk and laugh with other kids, then turned and walked away.
His footsteps froze in place.
Little Shiyu stood still, his earlier restlessness tearing at him more intensely.
Clearly, he had faced countless more difficult situations when he was younger, even life-threatening ones, and he hadn’t been this agitated. He had more patience than those adults.
… Why?
Little Shiyu couldn’t understand. The anxiety and depression were trapped in his small chest.
If he could win the New Star of Writing, go to the amusement park with Chu Feng once again, would their relationship return to normal?
***
“Chu Feng, Chu Feng! It’s time to practice the piano.”
“Oh.”
Chu Feng laid on the desk writing his English speech. The poetry and mathematics competitions were over, and he felt he had done quite well. Next up was the English speech competition, the essay recitation competition, and not forgetting daily piano practice and regular academic exams…
A corner of his desk held his study schedule, filled to the brim.
Last time… Would Little Shiyu be angry?
They were now seated far apart. If he deliberately went to talk to Little Shiyu, the teacher might see and report it to his parents.
If… he truthfully told Little Shiyu…
The tip of his pen paused.
Chu Feng frowned in distress. He didn’t know how to say it. To tell Little Shiyu directly: my parents won’t let me play with you?
Why? – Because your family uses drugs, your grades are poor, and my parents are afraid you’ll influence me badly. They even said if I don’t get first place in the competition, when we’re divided into classes, they’ll use connections to get you placed in the worst class. So I haven’t had time to come find you to play, sorry.
Thud, Chu Feng hugged his little head on the desk. If he said these things, Little Shiyu would probably immediately end their friendship.
“Chu Feng, Chu Feng! What are you still dawdling for? Play the piano.”
Chu Feng put down his pen, chased away the miscellaneous thoughts in his mind. Anyway, for now, he needed to focus on competitions and studies. If he could smoothly get placed in the same class as Little Shiyu, they could stay together until sixth grade!
***
“Now let’s announce the tentative list for the last essay recitation competition. Gold Star Award: Chu Feng, …, …, Silver Star Award: …, and the New Star of Writing Award: …, …, and Xie Shiyu.”
“Huh?!”
The whole class was in an uproar, exclaiming, “What’s going on?!”
“Xie Shiyu also won an award?”
“Quiet!” Teacher Meng banged on the table. “Xie Shiyu’s essay this time was exceptionally serious, with a very profound theme and a new and innovative perspective. Moreover, he repeatedly came to my office to ask for help with his essay, showing great diligence. Everyone should learn from him…”
Some classmates in the class murmured their dissent.
Normally, when Teacher Meng praised class leaders like Chu Feng and encouraged others to learn from them, there wouldn’t be much objection. After all, everyone acknowledged someone who was consistently better than them receiving achievements and praise.
But suddenly, someone who had always been considered less capable than themselves had achieved something, while they hadn’t, which made everyone feel uncomfortable.
“Hey, be honest.”
The boy sitting in front turned around, teasingly asking Xie Shiyu, “Did you copy from some model essay?”
The surrounding children chuckled.
Xie Shiyu remained silent, not bothering to respond.
Teacher Meng said, “This list is tentative. Since it’s an essay recitation competition, next, everyone needs to read their own essays aloud. Those who received the Gold Star Award will go to the Birch Auditorium in the city for the recitation evaluation. Those who received the Silver Star Award will have their evaluation at our school.
“For the New Star of Writing, just read it aloud in class. We’ll record a video and upload it to the organizing committee. Classmates will also participate in the scoring, with a selection ratio of approximately 1:2. This means one out of every two people will be eliminated. Therefore, award-winning students should prepare well for the recitation…”
“Chu Feng, come up and take the certificate.”
“Teacher, Chu Feng went to participate in the English competition.”
“Oh, I forgot. Alright, class monitor, come up and take it. Now, open your textbooks…”
***
Recitation.
Little Shiyu laid on the desk, his face turned away, looking at the scenery outside the window.
He didn’t want to read his own essay aloud.
It was quite a struggle to get selected for the competition, but… he didn’t want to do the recitation.
This thought was suppressed in his heart with no one to confide in.
All around him were even numbers paired together, with Xie Shiyu sitting alone at the back of the classroom, an odd number.
—No one shares his desk. He could occupy the entire seat, but there was nothing for him to place on it; the desktop was empty, unlike when he had a desk partner, where there was the lively clutter of things meant for two.
***
“Alright, class dismissed! Oh, Xie Shiyu, come to my office for a moment.”
Unlike the previous two times he came to revise his essay, this time Xie Shiyu felt that Teacher Meng was very pleased, looking at him kindly:
“Xie Shiyu, you know, the teacher knows you’re very smart. Look, this time you wrote an essay and immediately won an award. Your classmates might not be mature enough to understand this yet, but they are actually envious of you for achieving such good results. Of course, you shouldn’t be complacent; you should continue to work hard for the next recitation. The school also values this competition greatly; the principal and secretary will come to our class to observe…”
Xie Shiyu kept his head down and remained silent. After a while, he asked quietly:
“Can I… not do the recitation?”
“Not recite? What do you mean?” Teacher Meng raised her eyebrows, her voice rising, “How can you skip the recitation in the competition process? Do you want to give up the New Star Award?”
In fact, Teacher Meng didn’t really care about Xie Shiyu’s New Star Award. The main thing was that Xie Shiyu’s essay responded well to the school’s anti-drug campaign, and a poor student under her influence and guidance wrote such a profound essay that even won the essay competition’s New Star Award. At this critical moment, such an inspirational educational story was highly valued by the school leaders. How could this child not go up to recite?
Teacher Meng thought about it and softened her voice a bit: “You see, if you get the New Star Award, you will have the opportunity to go to City S. Chu Feng should be going too, right? Don’t you get along well with him?”
Xie Shiyu pursed his lips and said nothing.
—Yes, he wanted to go to the amusement park with Chu Feng and maybe restore their relationship to what it was before…
They’ve already come this far.
Xie Shiyu: “Classmate’s assessment…”
“That’s okay.” Teacher Meng smiled. Nowadays, for the sake of democracy, they all set peer assessment/votes, but in fact, the significance of these assessments is not great, and the final decision is still made by the teachers.
“You can rest assured that this essay is exceptionally well written. Don’t think too much about it. Go back and prepare well for the recitation.”
***
On the day of the recitation, the school leaders did indeed come. They sat in a row behind the class, with a banner hanging behind them: “Cherish Life, Stay Away from Drugs.”
The first two New Star award-winning essays, “My Teacher Grandfather” and “My Architect Uncle,” were recited with great emotion, and finally it was Xie Shiyu’s turn.
The students in the class peeked around, filled with dissatisfaction but also curiosity. What did Xie Shiyu write that he could even win the New Star award?
Click.
Ten-year-old Xie Shiyu pulled out his chair. He had already memorized his essay.
As a poor student, this was his first opportunity to speak on the podium. After standing up, Xie Shiyu found that the perspective here was very different from sitting below. At first glance, he looked at the familiar seat, which was empty.
At this moment, Chu Feng should be participating in the Gold Star Award recitation evaluation at the municipal hall, right?
The classroom was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Teacher Meng, afraid that Xie Shiyu would be nervous, stood beside the school leaders and signaled with her sweet voice:
“Xie Shiyu, you can start.”
***
More than fifty pairs of eyes in the whole class were staring at Xie Shiyu intently.
Finally, under such scrutiny, Xie Shiyu recited the essay that Teacher Meng had carefully revised:
“My Father, the Drug Addict” Class Three (1), Xie Shiyu, Guided by Teacher Meng Xinhua
“My dad is a drug offender…”
Snap. The whole class was in an uproar.
Although some classmates knew about Xie Shiyu’s family situation, hearing it recited publicly for the first time made them particularly curious. Several classmates covered their mouths and giggled quietly.
Click, click.
The photographer in the back row took pictures of the school leaders, students, and the banner.
***
After the teachers and school leaders left, the class immediately became chaotic, with classmates teasing Xie Shiyu with strange smiles.
“No wonder, I thought so, with your level of writing, how could you possibly win an award? Haha!”
Xie Shiyu pretended not to hear anything, resting his head in his hands and sleeping on the table.
Actually, he couldn’t sleep at all.
But it didn’t matter. If… if he could go with Chu Feng smoothly in the end, everything would be worth it.
***
A few days later, Xie Shiyu was called to the teacher’s office again.
Teacher Meng took out a list and smiled:
“Congratulations, the results are out, you won the New Star Award for your essay. Here’s your certificate.”
Xie Shiyu held the only red certificate of his student days in his hands:
Congratulations to Xie Shiyu, Class Three (1), for winning the New Star Award in the 12th Annual Elementary and High School Student Theme Essay Competition: “My Father, the Drug Addict.”
As he held the certificate, Xie Shiyu’s hand clenched tightly, crumpling the corner of the certificate.
Xie Shiyu quickly rolled up the certificate casually and asked:
“So, teacher, when will the prize be given out?”
—The essay said that there would be a free one-day trip to Disneyland in City S and a luxurious five-star hotel.
“I was just about to tell you about this.” Teacher Meng spoke slowly, “Well, the one-day trip and hotel are indeed free, but our essay group will go together, so we need to pay a participation fee, including the travel expenses to City S, three meals a day, and the fees for Disneyland and other attractions with guides and transportation. It’s about 2,580 yuan.”
Over two thousand… For Xie Shiyu’s family, this was a huge sum.
“But…” Ten-year-old Xie Shiyu stood there somewhat aggrieved, “Wasn’t it said to be free at the time?”
“Yes, so as I said, the one-day trip and hotel are free, but if you want to go, you have to go with the group. Other expenses will have to be paid. Just to clarify, this money won’t go to me; it will go to the competition organizing committee. This is also a requirement of the committee.
“You see, isn’t the last requirement of the essay writing saying that all interpretation rights belong to the organizing committee? For the New Star Award, you need to pay a participation fee of 2,580 yuan to attend the promotion competition in City S. There is no fee for the Gold Star and Silver Star Awards.”
“Do you want to sign up? If you do, I can help you register. Actually, more than two thousand yuan is not that much. Just think of it as a trip to S City. You know, if you want to visit Disneyland and stay in a five-star hotel in S City, it’s much more than two thousand, and this is also a rare opportunity for you to experience…”
“I won’t go.” Xie Shiyu’s hand clenched suddenly, and the crumpled certificate was instantly flattened:
“Not interested.”
***
“Ah! You child…!” Teacher Meng stood up in anger, but Little Shiyu had already vanished without a trace. She sat back down with annoyance. Well, she thought, let someone else have that spot. There are plenty of parents willing to pay for their children to advance.
***
The crumpled certificate was casually tossed into the backpack. The last period was PE class; everyone placed their backpacks on the steps and joyfully ran around the playground.
As usual, Little Shiyu was alone in the sandbox, playing with sand.
“Hey! Little Shiyu! Didn’t they say the prize-winning essays could go to Disneyland? They’re all at the meeting there. Why aren’t you there?” Two boys approached him. One of them mimicked Little Shiyu’s appearance when he recited on stage, pulling at his collar and clearing his throat exaggeratedly.
“Respected leaders, dear classmates, hello everyone! I’m Little Shiyu from Class 3-1. Today, I’m going to recite my award-winning essay ‘My Father, the Drug Addict.’ Hahaha!”
The other boy continued, picking up the cue, “Cherish life, stay away from drugs. Whenever I see such slogans, I feel uneasy because my father is a drug addict!”
Some passing classmates joked and laughed, “Oh, you two, stop acting. He’s a prize-winning essayist, you know?”
Laughter erupted around them, and they ran off laughing and giggling.
As if it was just a joke, inconsequential.
Little Shiyu said nothing, silently squatting in the sand. He knew how to deal with smugglers, murderers, blood, knives, and dismemberment, but he didn’t know how to face the ridicule, mockery, sarcastic smiles of classmates and teachers, and the gap that he couldn’t overcome no matter how hard he tried.
He glanced towards a group of kids not far away. He spotted Chu Feng among them, led by a teacher he didn’t recognize, probably explaining to them about going to the provincial competition in S city. Taking up PE class time was only natural.
They weren’t too far apart, but Little Shiyu felt as if a thick layer of bulletproof glass separated him from Chu Feng. Since first grade, Little Shiyu knew that Chu Feng lived in a different world from him.
It wasn’t until third grade that Little Shiyu began to realize that in this world, there were not only differences but also hierarchies.
He was the one who wrote in his essay: “My father is a drug addict,” while Chu Feng’s father was a renowned professor at a prestigious school, capable of taking everyone to visit helicopters. When the whole class surrounded him in admiration, exclaiming, “Chu Feng, your dad is so amazing!”
Little Chu Feng just shrugged indifferently, “Nothing special.”
When it was time for the advance team to depart, Chu Feng, winner of the Gold Star Award, sat in the car. He opened the window and looked at the school gate, where classmates who had come to see them off after school.
The teacher was busy now, and the parents were absent.
Little Chu Feng immediately spotted Little Shiyu among the crowd. He waved eagerly, greeting Little Shiyu!
But Little Shiyu just stood there, seemingly absent-minded, as if he hadn’t seen him at all.
Instead, a classmate beside Little Shiyu, mistaking Chu Feng’s greeting for himself, happily responded, “Chu Feng, goodbye!”
“Good luck, come back with first place!”
“Have a safe trip!”
Little Chu Feng could only smile politely.
The car started, the wheels rolled faster and faster forward… As the school, seen from behind, became smaller and smaller, Chu Feng didn’t see Little Shiyu saying goodbye to him.
For the first time, he felt… Little Shiyu seemed not to be happy in front of him anymore.
Five days later.
Another PE class.
Little Shiyu was too lazy to go down, lying on his seat with his hands propped up, pretending to sleep.
Actually, he couldn’t sleep at all. He just didn’t want to see the coming and going of his classmates.
Suddenly, he felt the air around him heat up, a body temperature, sitting next to him.
—Who’s the guy trying to make fun of him now?
Little Shiyu impatiently opened his eyes…
“Hi~”
Little Chu Feng sat beside him.
Just like when they were deskmates.
The classmates around them had all gone to PE class, leaving only the two of them in the classroom. The wooden desks and chairs emitted a golden light under the sun.
Little Shiyu: “You… are back?”
Little Chu Feng: “Yeah! The car just got to the school gate.”
The kids participating in the competition had all gone home, and it was perfect for skipping the last class. Only Little Chu Feng ran back to school. He took out something from his backpack and handed it to Little Shiyu.
“A gift for you! I bought it from Disneyland, very suitable for you!”
“Tha… thanks.” Little Shiyu was a bit at a loss, as if Chu Feng… had returned to how he used to be.
“How was the competition?”
“Of course, I came in first.” Little Chu Feng said, “Oh, by the way, I… I put my essay in the gift too. Look at it when you get home! Well, I’ll be going now…”
Little Shiyu felt that Chu Feng seemed afraid that he would open the gift on the spot and hurriedly left.
With his ears still a bit red, shy.
Thinking of Chu Feng’s appearance, Little Shiyu smiled. He was even more curious about what the gift could be.
Back in Room 404 of the residential building, Little Shiyu couldn’t wait to dive into his bedroom, sitting at his small desk, and started unwrapping the gift.
Because it was a gift from Chu Feng, Little Shiyu carefully unwrapped it, reluctant to tear the wrapping paper. He undid the knotted ribbon, slowly unfolded the sealed flap…
Inside was a set of stationery, a Disney pencil case, mechanical pencil, eraser, and ruler, all very delicate.
However, the pattern was somewhat strange. Little Shiyu had expected Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, but what Chu Feng bought for him was:
Disney Princesses.
Little Shiyu: ……
He opened the pencil case, inside was a rectangular piece of paper.
Little Shiyu picked it up, thinking it might be a letter or something from Chu Feng…
He unfolded it and was stunned.
It was an essay paper with the watermark of [Essay Contest], Chu Feng’s first place essay in the provincial competition:
“My Good Friend — Xie Shiyu”
Class 3 (1), Chu Feng, Affiliated Elementary School of B City
***
Xie Shiyu read this essay over and over, memorizing every word Chu Feng wrote about him.
“Yuyu…”
“Xie Shiyu?”
Mom: “What are you doing, silly boy? Come and eat —”
“… Oh! Coming right now.”
Ten-year-old Little Shiyu sat happily at his desk, admiring this extraordinary masterpiece. Suddenly, his gaze stopped at the title of the essay:
“My Good Friend — Little Shiyu”
Little Shiyu gripped the Disney Princess mechanical pencil and, as if driven by a ghost, controlled the tip of the pen, quietly changing one word in the title.
Realizing what he was doing, Little Shiyu quickly picked up the eraser and wiped away the word. But the meaning seemed to be branded in his mind like a hot iron, indelible.
Little Shiyu circled the word “good” in “good friend” and with his tiny hands, he raised up a new word on this glossy circle: “boy.”
Little Shiyu silently read the new title word by word, his face turning red in an instant.
“Little Shiyu, what are you doing? Aren’t you coming to eat —”
Footsteps approached, Mom was coming in!
Little Shiyu was scared and immediately erased the word he had changed, sweeping away the eraser crumbs. In that instant, the little boy suddenly understood what had been bothering him all this time.
Under the bright noon sunlight, the essay title showed slight traces of revision:
“My Boyfriend — Xie Shiyu”
—— Part 4: The Final Little Secret ——
18 months later
Drip——
[Welcome to Dream City]
Above the three words “Dream City,” a small subscript appeared: dg
“I’ve been wanting to ask for a long time, President Xie, is there any significance behind naming your company dg when you founded it?”
Chu Feng in the audience quietly listened as President Xie Shiyu rambled on:
“The ‘d’ actually symbolizes ‘deep,’ and the ‘g’ symbolizes ‘great,’ deep thinking, achieving excellence. Including this acquisition of Dream City, when I first proposed the plan, many people said it was too risky. But in reality, I thought a lot and made extensive preparations. The success of one thing…”
President Xie started his business inspirational speech, while Chu Feng quietly yawned below the stage.
After eighteen months of overtime, they finally smoothly swallowed up Dream City.
Initially, their company fully supported all accusations against Dream City, and the PR department spared no effort, loudly proclaiming Dream City’s persecution of players, cases that directly/indirectly led to player deaths after being online for so many years.
During the PR time, not all these cases were real, and some exaggerations were left for the future to counterattack.
Soon, another wave of public opinion began online, detective-like investigating various unreasonable aspects of the revelations, questioning the authenticity of Dream City’s allegations.
Netizens on both sides were eagerly discussing. Dream City’s PR department also joined in, issuing a lawyer’s letter to gd company, announcing to all players: the facts in the revelations were fabricated slander, and Dream City company would pursue this matter to the end…
However, due to this large-scale disclosure, many players were afraid of Dream City and began to quit.
At the same time, gd company took advantage of the situation and launched a holographic game called “Simulated Life.” Dream City immediately began to counterattack, claiming that gd company was maliciously slandering them just to promote their own game!
By this point, the negative public opinion had reached its peak, and countless netizens began to question gd company. Is the revelation true or false? Was it just a business stunt? Can Dream City still be played? Especially President Xie Shiyu’s account, receiving millions of messages every day…
Meanwhile, Dream City’s player forums also began to reminisce about the great god X. In those years, there was a group of serial bombers in Dream City, causing many players to inexplicably die in the game, leading to them becoming vegetative in real life. This incident caused widespread reporting worldwide and almost bankrupted Dream City.
Finally, God X’s fluid conjecture came to the rescue, defusing the bombs, and Dream City company compensated the victims’ families with substantial compensation, finally turning the page on the matter. Players hoped x could come out and say something.
After all, regulator x was the frontline guardian of players, knowing best the ins and outs of this game.
[However, he probably won’t come out now, since the regulator x in the game has changed hands.]
[He has changed his account. Isn’t that x’s normal account?]
[What do you want him to say at this time? Defend Dream City and claim the game is absolutely safe? Then when there is danger in the future, he won’t be able to take responsibility. If he doesn’t speak for Dream City… can he handle such a big company alone?]
President Xie Shiyu glanced at the player forum, quite satisfied with this state of public opinion. When negative public opinion peaked, it was the beginning of the turnaround.
That day, President Xie Shiyu only posted three words:
[I am x]
At the same time, he logged into x’s regular account and responded on the player forum:
[Hello everyone, I am Xie Shiyu]
***
At the same time, the PR department launched completely authentic revelations. Through this wave of positive hype, negative hype, and big reversal, they achieved much higher heat than if they had just launched completely authentic revelations from the beginning, and the blow to Dream City was fatal.
As the highest regulator, Xie Shiyu knew best the tricks of Dream City. If players were in danger in the game and died without being saved, Dream City’s legal department would push it off as the player’s own fault for staying up late and dying from gaming addiction. It’s not Dream City’s fault no matter which game you play.
Ordinary people’s lawyers couldn’t match Dream City’s legal department, so they ended up settling for small amounts of money. Because the deceased players were scattered, they did not pose a major threat.
Xie Shiyu exposed all these scattered cases, confirming the potential harm of Dream City’s game to people and how the game coerced players into spending money. In just a few days, Dream City’s reputation plummeted, and its stock price plummeted as well. dg company began to buy a large number of Dream City’s shares at low prices. Meanwhile, Dream City faced tens of thousands of illegal lawsuits from around the world…
At this point, as a financially strong dg company, Xie Shiyu extended an olive branch to his former employer in a very friendly manner.
Eighteen months later, Dream City was hung with dg’s logo as scheduled.
“All right, thank you, President Xie, for your speech. This is the first time I’ve truly understood the meaning of dg. Deep and great, deep thinking, achieving excellence! It’s truly a meaningful sentence. So…”
The host on stage invited the next guest, and after Xie Shiyu came down, he opened his phone and glanced at the live broadcast. Several barrage messages scrolled across the screen:
“So ‘deep and great’ means deep thinking, achieving excellence? In fact, we all thought dg stood for ‘dumb dog.’ Even my senior asked me if I should apply to ‘dumb dog’ with his referral code…”
“Yanguo has something to say. I’ve watched all of CEO Xie’s interviews. Actually, at the beginning, it was really related to a dog. When he graduated from college and just started his business, there was a small interview in the downtown area. At that time, someone asked him what dg meant, and he clearly paused for a moment, saying it was an abbreviation of doge. He really liked using that expression and casually put it in when naming it.”
“I remember that interview! It was edited by fans before. Wow, CEO Xie was so green back then. Now it’s all about ‘deep & great,’ business chicken soup, achieving excellence. / Rolls eyes”
“Are you kidding me? An abbreviation of doge is too funny. How could he be so casual about it? Hahaha…”
Xie Shiyu glanced casually and turned off the live broadcast.
What ‘deep & great,’ it was all just something he casually mentioned in his speech. Even the previous ‘doge’ was made up on the spot. The true meaning of dg was something completely different.
Perhaps even Chu Feng couldn’t guess what it meant. Xie Shiyu walked out from backstage, looking intentionally or unintentionally towards Chu Feng.
Chu Feng was originally looking at his phone but suddenly looked up, locking eyes with Xie Shiyu.
Xie Shiyu smiled at him, and then buzz——
A message popped up on WeChat:
[Did you think I wouldn’t know? / Little kitty is watching you]
Chu Feng seemed to read minds, surprising Xie Shiyu: [How did you know?]
Chu Feng: [Look at your keyboard, silly.]
d… daily… every day
g… guard… guard
On the keyboard, the letters ‘g’ and ‘d’ faithfully guarded the ‘f’ in between.
f… Feng
But revealing such meanings to the public would be too deliberate; it’s better kept buried in one’s heart.
Xie Shiyu closed his phone, smiling as he walked towards Chu Feng and sat beside him.
During the New Year’s cleanup, Xie Shiyu found something unexpected in the study.
His doodle book.
It had been hidden by Chu Feng before, and he didn’t know when it had been put back in this drawer, buried under some documents. If it weren’t for today’s cleanup, he might never have found it.
Xie Shiyu opened the doodle book, and the inner pages were printed with a cartoon image of an ugly rabbit — the mascot of that stationery brand.
He flipped through several books, all of them empty. Chu Feng had cut out and discarded the thirty-seven small daggers, vehicles, wine glasses, and check marks he had drawn before.
Only one book remained with his doodles:
Fluffy little birds.
These were doodles he drew at the age of twenty, different from the others he casually drew. He had drawn these two fluffy little birds very seriously, arranged in a comic-like manner:
In the first frame, two fluffy white birds stood on a branch, sticking close, very happy, surrounded by lush branches and leaves, full of vitality;
In the second frame, the leaves withered, cold winds blew, one white bird became somewhat unhappy, and the other bird tried to comfort it, but to no avail;
In the third frame, a dramatic change occurred. The branches died, thorny thickets grew everywhere, and the scariest thing was that one white bird lost its feathers, revealing its originally dark appearance. The real white bird saw the black bird beside it, frightened, flapping its wings, trying to escape…
But the thorns around it trapped it.
In the fourth frame, something magical happened. The dense black thorns suddenly opened a small opening,
This was drawn by Xie Shiyu after he and Chu Feng got married. It was a commitment to himself that even if one day Chu Feng wanted to divorce him, he would let Chu Feng leave like a normal person.
— After all, what he drew in the little book was something he would definitely do.
But now, the doodles in the book have changed.
From the second frame to the fourth frame, they have been crossed out with big red X marks.
It seems like corrections were made, and new fluffy little birds were drawn beside them:
Leaves falling, winter arriving, two little birds wrapped in scarves, huddling together to keep warm.
Branches dead, thorns dense, little black bird feathers gone, revealing its original shivering form.
Little white bird turns its head, looks at the little black bird, flaps its wings and pecks it, showing no intention of leaving.
The fluffy figures, tightly together. Below them, there’s a line of handwriting, Chu Feng’s handwriting:
Everlasting love
[永远爱你]
— Even if the branches wither, winter is coming, and the forest crawls with dark thorns, the two fluffy little birds will still chirp together, never to part.
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