Chapter 1: Lin Zhi had almost forgotten what Lu Liu looked like…

Lin Zhi walked through People’s Square, avoiding a child on a skateboard who nearly bumped into him. He smiled and gave a slight nod in response to the apologetic look from the child’s mother.

The phone in his light blue jeans pocket vibrated, and Lin Zhi took it out while walking to unlock it.

【Zhi: I’ve arrived.】

Lin Zhi quickened his pace, his heart rate picking up in sync.

【Lin Zhi: Okay, wait for me two minutes.】

“Zhi” was Lin Zhi’s boyfriend, but they had never met in person. To be more precise, Lin Zhi had come today just to meet “Zhi.”

His boyfriend was very mysterious. Lin Zhi had never seen him or heard his voice, and “Zhi” wasn’t even his real name.

Lin Zhi let out a small laugh, feeling as though meeting his boyfriend was like unboxing a mystery box.

【Zhi: Mm, don’t rush.】

【Zhi: I’m wearing a white top, black pants, and white sneakers. I’m standing at the head of the bridge in the park.】

Lin Zhi exhaled. He now knew what the mystery box looked like. In just two more minutes, the boyfriend inside would be fully revealed.

The park bridge connected the south gate of People’s Park to the pedestrian street, and People’s Park was just diagonally opposite from People’s Square, with only a crosswalk separating the two.

Lin Zhi was near the right side of the “X” crossing, close to the intersection. Once he crossed the road and passed a couple of stores, he might just be able to spot the person standing at the bridge’s head from afar.

This area was one of the best spots for entertainment, shopping, and eating in J City, bustling with activity day and night, especially during the holidays, with people constantly coming and going.

【Lin Zhi: We’re about to meet. Can I call you?】

They had been dating for nearly two months and had known each other for almost a year. “Zhi” had never sent Lin Zhi a voice message or suggested they talk on the phone. Lin Zhi had even once wondered if “Zhi” was mute.

However, when he hesitantly voiced this question, “Zhi” quickly denied it, sending him several screenshots of boys and girls from their school confessing to “Zhi,” to prove that he wasn’t mute and was quite popular.

The green pedestrian light was flashing. Lin Zhi decided to wait for the next green light before crossing.

【Lin Zhi: There are a lot of people. It’ll be easier to find you if I’m on the phone.】

A few seconds passed, the green light went off, and the red pedestrian light turned on. People stopped walking, and cars began to move.

【Zhi: Okay.】

Lin Zhi’s finger moved toward the voice call icon, but before he could tap it, his peripheral vision caught a small figure darting out from the other side of the road. Lin Zhi looked up and saw a little boy, probably around four or five years old, running across the crosswalk with small steps.

Cars that had just started driving slammed on their brakes, the screeching sound of tires on the road was especially piercing.

The cars approaching the intersection saw the chaos and also slowed down, creating a sharp contrast with a black sedan in the middle-right lane.

This was in the city center, on a crowded street. The sedan was clearly speeding. It wasn’t clear whether the driver hadn’t reacted in time or something else was happening, but while the other cars had all stopped, the sedan’s speed kept increasing!

If there were a wide-angle shot, it would clearly capture the intersection between the little boy and the sedan right on the crosswalk.

Lin Zhi didn’t have that wide view, but instinctively, when he saw the car coming straight at the boy, he realized the danger. His body moved on its own, rushing toward the boy.

However, things happened too quickly. No matter how fast Lin Zhi was, he couldn’t outrun the car. When danger struck, he didn’t have time to pick the boy up and move him away. He could only push the boy forward with all his might. In the next second, Lin Zhi felt a tremendous force hit his body, and then he was lifted into the air.

At this moment, Lin Zhi couldn’t even think about whether the boy might get hit by another car or if his shove would cause the boy to fall and hurt himself.

He could only see the ground getting farther and farther away, a moment that felt like a lifetime. Then, the ground came rushing back towards him, so close it pressed against his body, rubbing against him.

His internal organs felt like they had shifted, and his hands and feet seemed nailed to the ground. Lin Zhi had lost control over his own body—he couldn’t move. The only thing left in his mind was a mess of chaotic thoughts:

Ah, I’m going to die.

So this is what death feels like.

Who will come and take my body away?

Maybe I’ll rot away in the morgue.

Wait, I still have a boyfriend.

Boyfriend…

That word acted like a “thought trigger.” When Lin Zhi thought of it, he suddenly heard the ringtone for a call invitation, distant yet close.

Then Lin Zhi realized the sound was coming from his hand.

He had a habit of gripping whatever was in his hand when his emotions fluctuated. Unexpectedly, even though he had been thrown, his phone hadn’t slipped out.

It was truly miraculous.

Moreover, the phone was still alive and kicking—stronger than he was.

Lin Zhi struggled to move his fingers. He had planned to call his boyfriend, and now his boyfriend had called him. It felt wrong not to answer.

Oh, wait. His hands couldn’t move.

The one who ran over… could you just help me bring the phone to my ear?

Lin Zhi opened his mouth but didn’t make a sound. Warm liquid eagerly slid down from the corner of his mouth, quickly soaking the half of his cheek pressed against the ground. It soon turned cold.

The liquid was red. Lin Zhi saw it, and his vision slowly turned red, growing darker.

The phone’s ringtone grew fainter. Who had taken his phone without putting it to his ear?

The ringtone gradually changed pitch, familiar yet strange.

“The class is starting.” Someone beside him pushed his body, making him sway.

He didn’t care. It was probably medical staff moving his “body.”

The person beside him pushed him again, raising their voice, “Class is starting! The teacher’s coming!”

Lin Zhi suddenly jerked his head up, frowning, eyes wide open, staring at the person beside him, “Chen Guyang?”

Chen Guyang was Lin Zhi’s desk mate for three years in high school. During those years, the three things Chen Guyang did most often were: keeping an eye on the teacher while Lin Zhi copied homework, keeping an eye on the teacher while Lin Zhi played on his phone, and keeping an eye on the teacher while Lin Zhi slept in class.

So, those three things could be summed up as: keeping an eye on the teacher for the slacker Lin Zhi.

“What are you staring at me for?” Chen Guyang widened his eyes in response. “You’re the one who told me to wake you up for class.”

“No,” Lin Zhi scratched his numb scalp. “I’m dreaming.”

“You can stare at me just because you’re dreaming?” Chen Guyang insisted, “If you’re dreaming, I’m still waking you up.”

“I mean…” Lin Zhi remembered that “Zhi” once told him that dreams shouldn’t be told to others. Although he knew it was a lie, now that he felt like he had “died,” he decided to listen to his boyfriend one last time. So, Lin Zhi changed his tone, “Forget it, I can’t explain it to you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Zhi’s back was hit by something sharp, causing him to suck in a breath of cold air: “Hiss—”

“Ah, sorry,” a flustered female voice came from the back row. “Are you alright?”

One of Lin Zhi’s hands was still on his head, while the other reached back to touch the spot where he’d been struck, twisting his body to face the back row. The moment he saw the face of the person sitting there, Lin Zhi suddenly thought—

Pain?!

Usually, when dreaming, one can’t feel pain. Even if there is, it’s usually fuzzy and unclear.

Moreover, he had already “died.” How could he still feel pain?

Lin Zhi was stunned. So, was he not dreaming now?

Or was it the things that happened before Chen Guyang woke him up that were the dreams?

Impossible. Those were real, tangible experiences— the pain from the car accident, the pain from his father’s death, the pain from his friend disappearing. All of those were real.

“Lin Zhi,” a tall boy ran over from the back of the classroom, speaking in a rush. “Sorry, sorry, I was passing a note to Xin Yu, I didn’t mean to hit you. Are you alright? Does it hurt?”

Lin Zhi shook his head in a daze. It had been two years since graduation, and he couldn’t immediately recall the boy’s name. He wasn’t sure what was going on either. “I’m fine.”

“What are you guys doing?” a middle-aged male teacher walked into the classroom from the door. “Didn’t you hear the bell? What are you looking at? I’m talking about you, Hao Hongda! Why aren’t you sitting at your desk properly during class? Running around everywhere?”

Lin Zhi got distracted. Oh, that boy’s name was Hao Hongda. He remembered now—he was the “eternal second” of their class.

In other places, “eternal second” refers to the second place, but Hao Hongda was second to last. The last place in their class frequently changed, and Lin Zhi had the misfortune of being in last place once. But Hao Hongda had been second to last since the beginning of their first year in high school.

As for the middle-aged teacher who had just entered, he was their homeroom teacher. Lin Zhi clearly remembered his name because there was a popular class chant: “Zhang San, Li Si, Wang Wu, Lu Liu,” and Wang Wu was the name of their homeroom teacher.

Lu Liu was the class president.

And also the reason Lin Zhi used to enjoy repeating that chant.

Thinking of this, Lin Zhi turned his head and quickly saw Lu Liu in the back row near the window.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, blinding Lin Zhi’s eyes. He couldn’t clearly make out Lu Liu’s expression, but he saw that Lu Liu was standing straight, his school uniform worn perfectly, the hideous color scheme of the uniform doing nothing to diminish the gentle and elegant aura Lu Liu exuded.

Two years after graduation, Lin Zhi remembered that the last time he saw Lu Liu was at their graduation party. After that, he went to university in a neighboring city, and Lu Liu went to the distant B city. They had never met again and had only minimal contact.

They hadn’t been close in high school, especially after Lin Zhi met “Zhi.” He had nearly forgotten what Lu Liu looked like.

“Lin Zhi!” The homeroom teacher, Wang Wu, sternly called out, “What are you staring at? Do you see money outside or what?”

Lin Zhi quickly turned his head and sat up straight.

It hadn’t even been the first few minutes of class, and two students had already been called out. The rest of the class immediately fell silent, heads down, flipping through books, or searching for their pens.

“I don’t even want to talk to you guys anymore,” Wang Wu slammed the textbook down on the podium. “None of you even care about your grades. The final exams are next week! Next semester, you’ll be seniors, and you don’t feel any urgency at all. Look at our class president. Does he act like you guys? Look at our study committee member! You’re like a pot that doesn’t make a sound, but it’s full of clinking noise!”

Lin Zhi didn’t have time to comment on how many things in this speech were ridiculous. He only noticed two words—final exams.