(You can turn on the BGM “Be Anything” by Laila Biali starting from the moment the countdown appears)

[Luo Ye]: , , ,

[Chi Zhiyue]: What’s wrong?

[Luo Ye]: Would you believe me if I said my hand slipped?

[Chi Zhiyue]: I believe you.

[Luo Ye]: Then my hand slipped. Sorry about that.

[Chi Zhiyue]: It’s fine.

[Chi Zhiyue]: Can I ask which barbecue shop that was?

[Luo Ye]: No. 121 Ninghai Road, South City.

[Chi Zhiyue]: Looks delicious.

[Luo Ye]: Yes yes yes yes, and it’s super cheap.

Luo Ye tapped send, and before his fingertip even left the screen, he realized in hindsight.

Wait? How did I just naturally start chatting with Chi Zhiyue?

“What’s up with you? Smiling one second and angry the next.” Lan Ju, who had almost reached the flower bed, turned back and glanced at him in confusion.

Luo Ye quickly turned off his phone screen, shoved it into his pocket, and said calmly, “It’s nothing.”

When they returned to Lan Ju’s house, Luo Peng was already sitting on the sofa with his backpack on, his chin resting on one hand, casting a expressionless glare at them.

When it came to Luo Ye’s matters, Luo Peng had an eye as sharp as a needle. Luo Ye’s heart squeezed hard; he instinctively held his breath and didn’t dare make a sound.

Fortunately, Luo Peng merely gave them a brief glance, slowly stood up, and said in a calm voice, “Let’s go.”

Looks like he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Luo Ye exchanged a glance with Lan Ju, and both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was almost ten o’clock by the time Luo Ye arrived home. They packed their things and went to wash up. Just as Luo Ye finished his shower and stepped into the living room, he bumped right into Luo Peng carrying a glass out for water.

Luo Ye used his warm palm to pinch Luo Peng’s lean cheek and said, “After I leave, I’ll have Brother Ju move in here.”

Luo Peng had originally been nodding obediently, but upon hearing that last sentence, his brows furrowed: “Why is he moving in?”

“Since I’m going away for quite a while this time, someone needs to keep you company for me to feel at ease,” Luo Ye said as if it were obvious.

Luo Peng frowned, remaining silent for a long moment before asking, “Is that really alright?”

Luo Ye smiled. “Are you worried he won’t take good care of you?”

Luo Peng shook his head. “No. I want to ask if he’s bringing his own cooked rice. I’m afraid he’ll eat everything in two days.”

Luo Ye: “…” Lan Ju, just what kind of image do you have in my brother’s mind?

Unable to save his best friend’s dignity, Luo Ye rubbed Luo Peng’s face and said, “Anyway, study hard, okay?”

Luo Peng lowered his head, pressing his cheek against Luo Ye’s palm, his tail swaying slightly as he added softly, “…But what a pity.”

Luo Ye’s hand paused. He tilted his head and asked, “Pity for what?”

Luo Peng dropped his gaze, his voice very quiet: “I have to spend New Year’s Eve alone this year. It’d be great if Brother Langlang were here.”

Thinking about it, Luo Peng wasn’t actually incapable of making friends; he just didn’t want to.

He would rather learn troublesome sign language to talk to Langlang than exchange a few sentences with his classmates.

Luo Ye rubbed the top of Luo Peng’s head and couldn’t help but remind him: “Even if Langlang comes back, everyone’s life experiences will be different, and we won’t be able to talk about everything like before. So you still need some friends your own age.”

“I know. I just hope he can come back soon,” Luo Peng said.

Luo Ye said, “Definitely. Who knows, maybe he’ll be here by next New Year’s Eve.”

Xu Menghua suddenly thought of New Year’s Eve. Just as she was about to walk back into her bedroom, she turned around and walked over to the sofa.

Chi Zhiyue was reclining on the sofa, his elbow resting lightly on the armrest to prop up his book. Hearing her approach, he didn’t move at all.

Xu Menghua put her hands on her hips, looking down at him from above: “Brother, how are you spending New Year’s Eve?”

Chi Zhiyue casually turned a page of his book: “Isn’t it just turning into next year? I don’t have much interest in days like that.”

Xu Menghua tsked: “…You really have no sense of romance.”

Chi Zhiyue smiled lightly. “I still celebrate anniversaries.”

“Yes, yes, yes. Every holiday in our house is prepared by you, but when it’s your turn to celebrate, you don’t take it to heart at all,” Xu Menghua muttered in her head, though she maintained a smiling face on the outside.

“So what about you? What are you doing for New Year’s Eve?” Chi Zhiyue asked.

“I’m going out for dinner with friends, hehe. I might sleep over at her place for the night—you know her, Xiao Tang.” Xu Menghua smiled excitedly and added, “Mom and Dad will probably go to Little Uncle’s house, so that’s why I asked how you’re spending it.”

“I’ll stay home. Who knows, something might suddenly come up?” Chi Zhiyue said.

“Oh,” Xu Menghua suddenly remembered her real business wasn’t this, and asked him again, “What about the parent-teacher conference after New Year’s Day? Are you coming, or are Mom and Dad coming?”

“If they aren’t free, I’ll go.” Chi Zhiyue paused, not giving a definitive answer. “I’m actually quite curious to see what your desk mate looks like.”

“Alright then.” Satisfied with the answer, Xu Menghua turned and left.

Chi Zhiyue closed his book with a smile and unhurriedly picked up his phone.

The screen was still parked on the WeChat Moments photo Luo Ye had posted.

Only half of a face was visible in the photo, set against a table piled high with steaming barbecue.

Even with just half a face, the mole on his cheek and his beautiful eyes were still instantly recognizable at a single glance.

After looking at the photo, Chi Zhiyue saved it and moved it into a separate album.

This album already contained twenty-three photos saved from Luo Ye’s WeChat Moments and Weibo posts.

In these photos, the back of a male figure with the exact same hair color as Luo Ye often appeared. Sometimes on the left side of the image, sometimes in the middle, sometimes in the corner—never showing a front face, always a blurred silhouette from behind.

Chi Zhiyue could tell that Luo Ye seemed to be deliberately protecting that person’s privacy.

Chi Zhiyue pressed three fingers lightly against his lips, his eyes narrowing slightly. He wasn’t jealous, because he knew this wasn’t Luo Ye’s partner—it was likely a relative of some sort.

After all, Luo Ye was as straight as a ruler.

When a female celebrity had visited their office building before, Chi Zhiyue had stood at the back of the crowd and clearly heard Luo Ye compliment her as “pretty” multiple times. Yet when male celebrities came, Luo Ye had looked entirely uninterested, not even bothering to spare a glance.

This had its downsides too: how to get closer to Luo Ye had become a tricky problem.

It wasn’t like a heaven-sent opportunity would just fall into his lap, right?

“But there’ll always be a way.” Chi Zhiyue gripped his phone, slowly sitting up, his gaze chancing to fall outside the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.

Outside the window, the dark night sank to the bottom of the valley, and the daylight slowly crept up, turning into daytime in the blink of an eye.

On December 31st, it started snowing again.

Luo Ye lied and said his high-speed train was at nine in the morning. He was afraid that the longer he stayed, the more he would miss everything at home, so he could only leave early.

Today he wore a longer padded coat that reached near his thighs, with just a simple hoodie and black trousers underneath. His hair was unstyled, covered by a cap.

“Leaving so soon?” Luo Peng rubbed his groggy, sleep-deprived eyes, instinctively reminding him: “Make sure to bundle up, and check the weather forecast often.”

From Luo Peng’s perspective, he was merely going out of town to handle business. But for Luo Ye, this was a road of no return.

“You too. Take good care of your health, don’t stay up late,” Luo Ye pinched Luo Peng’s cheek one last time, looking deeply at him.

In the end, he said nothing more, turned to pull open the door, and resolutely walked out.

[18 hours 49 minutes 04 seconds]

Luo Ye dragged his suitcase to the bottom of his residential building, where he happened to meet the grandmas and grandpas who often played cards and chatted in the small pavilion.

During the years he had lived in this neighborhood, these elderly folks had been exceptionally warm toward Luo Ye and Luo Peng. For instance, on the Laba Festival, they would specifically come upstairs to invite the brothers down for porridge. Luo Ye kept all their tiny favors in mind, and whenever he had free time, he would take photos for them.

That was how Luo Ye’s photography skills spread among the elderly community. Later on, for community events, the neighborhood committee would even invite him to participate.

Luo Ye greeted them as usual. When several of the elders asked where he was heading with his suitcase, Luo Ye casually named a few places.

The elders had a sudden realization. A few who had been to those places immediately opened up, chatting back and forth about stories from those locations.

“The last time I went was back in the nineties! Those pillars weren’t even there back then, and there weren’t nearly as many tourists.”

“Last time I went, I saw a really tasty shop over there, but now that I wear dentures, I can’t eat it anymore. What a pity.”

…

Luo Ye listened quietly, smiling along with them, occasionally chiming in with a few inaccurate dialect phrases.

“Yes, yes, yes, I know that place too.”

“Ah? Really? That’s way too terrible.”

The grandmas and grandpas even kindly gave him a hand warmer. Holding it, Luo Ye felt his whole body warm up significantly. Many of the elders here had children living in other cities. Luo Ye was willing to talk to them because the stories of their past lives were truly fascinating; he loved hearing people share their stories, just like the videos he loved to film.

Afterwards, Grandma Lin, who loved Chinese opera, began singing a piece; Grandpa Hu, of the fox beastkin strain, pulled out his phone to share photos sent by his son overseas; Grandma Sun mentioned she had snagged cheap goods from the supermarket, drawing rounds of envy from the others.

Though the small pavilion was drafty on all sides, it was filled with warmth, chasing away all the cold and leaving behind only laughter and cheer.

Across the flat, lead-gray sky, a jet trail cut through—thin, long, and clear.

[16 hours 20 minutes 04 seconds]

Luo Ye arrived at the park across from the community.

This was a place he routinely walked through. After dinner, he and Luo Peng would stroll around here to digest their food.

Deep inside the park were several massive clusters of rockeries. Even though the sign clearly stated “No Climbing,” what kid ever listened?

When he walked over today, several children had climbed to the top while their parents stood below chatting.

Only then did Luo Ye remember that elementary schools seemed to be on break today—no wonder he could hear laughter from afar.

Among that group of noisy children, Luo Ye caught sight of a familiar tiny figure.

Tiantian, sitting in her wheelchair, was staring at the frozen pond in front of her. Tang Sanyuan, crouching beside her, held a thermos flask in his hand.

Seeing Luo Ye walking over first, he patted Tiantian’s shoulder to point him out.

Luo Ye’s smile brightened instantly as he walked up to greet them: “Out playing so early?”

The moment Tiantian saw him, her eyes lit up, and she said excitedly: “That’s right! The ice cream we promised last time! I happen to have money with me today, so I can buy it for you!” Saying so, she pulled out a small leather coin purse from her pocket.

Luo Ye originally intended to decline, but the father-daughter duo used a combination of playing pity and acting remorseful, so Luo Ye had no choice but to follow along.

After picking carefully for a long time, Tiantian finally selected a white chocolate crunchy popsicle and handed it to Luo Ye.

Luo Ye was pleasantly surprised: “How did you know I liked this one?”

Tiantian said thoughtfully, “Don’t you often share snacks with me? Every time you pull something from your pocket, it’s white chocolate. You must really like it to keep carrying it with you.”

“So smart, what great observation skills.” Luo Ye petted Tiantian’s head with relief. “Thank you, Tiantian.”

Tiantian’s eyes sparkled: “When my legs get better, let’s bring Brother Pengpeng along and go fly kites in the small garden!”

Luo Ye looked up at Tang Sanyuan beside them; Mr. Tang was looking at him with a face full of gratification.

It felt as though something was stuck in his throat. Luo Ye choked up for a moment, before finally smiling and saying, “…Okay, you can call him then.”

Completely unaware of anything, Tiantian happily pulled Luo Ye along: “Mhm! Let’s go!”

[15 hours 56 minutes 04 seconds]

Luo Ye picked a random bus and swiped his card to board.

The bus traveled from North City to South City, crossing a massive bridge over the river.

The river water shimmered cold in the freezing wind, and the scenery outside the window constantly receded, finally stopping at a place Luo Ye had never visited before.

After getting off, Luo Ye picked another bus. The vehicle headed down another route, lined with rows of towering skyscrapers, while billboards continuously looped promotional events for tonight’s New Year’s Eve countdown.

Passing near the university district, students huddled together in groups of two and three, chatting and laughing, their brows full of vitality and life. They were roughly the same age as Luo Ye, their eyes filled with yearning and light for the future.

Watching them, Luo Ye’s gaze gradually dazed.

A few years ago, Luo Ye had been a university student just like them, walking down the street with friends, talking about their futures.

Back then, his life was hard, but equally full of joy.

Now, it wasn’t hard anymore, but he had lost those joys all the same.

“…” Luo Ye slowly withdrew his gaze, his fingertips unconsciously fiddling with the ice cream wrapper in his hand.

The vehicle slowly drove onto the elevated highway, heading toward the far end of the city as the scenery outside the window grew increasingly blurred.

[8 hours 18 minutes 04 seconds]

Today was New Year’s Eve. As the landmark lake of South City, it was already packed with crowds; couples leaned against each other whispering secrets, and families walked together.

Luo Ye found an inconspicuous bench to sit on, looking up at the night sky above the lake.

The countdown was clearly reflected in the water’s depths.

[8 hours 01 minute 54 seconds]

[8 hours 01 minute 55 seconds]

[8 hours 01 minute 53 seconds]

Luo Ye’s cheeks were flushed red from the cold. He instinctively pulled his neck into his collar and glanced sideways.

The streetlights along the road lit up one by one, casting a warm yellow glow on the ground that blurred into soft halos. A few young children stepped on their own shadows while playing, while a slightly older child stood nearby sharing his toys.

Luo Ye pulled out his phone.

His WeChat Moments feed had already started warming up with New Year’s Eve updates. Many people were out for dinner, posting lots of pretty photos.

Wan Qing had afternoon tea at a cafe; Bai Nan posted a photo taken in front of a convenience store with his favorite anime character; Zhou Mentian uploaded a joint video with her boyfriend…

As he scrolled, Luo Ye’s fingertip paused.

[Chi Zhiyue]: Hope everyone is happy in the new year. [Image]

The photo Chi Zhiyue posted was taken from the balcony of his home. Outside the window was a glorious evening glow like burning clouds, with the buildings covered in pure white snow.

The blend of warmth and cold was filled with artistic atmosphere.

Luo Ye’s occupational habit kicked in again as he quietly evaluated it in his mind: This one is actually shot really well. The composition is solid, with nothing redundant.

Probably an 80 out of 100.

“Wait, why am I paying attention to his updates again?” Realizing what he was doing, Luo Ye felt secretly annoyed at himself.

He had explicitly told himself not to give this guy any good attitude, so why was he instinctively paying attention again?

He gave a soft hmph, his fingertip swiping rapidly, scrolling right past it.

Ever since what happened last time, he stopped liking any of Chi Zhiyue’s posts.

Luo Ye admitted this revenge was extremely childish. Chi Zhiyue probably had thousands of WeChat friends; he might not even notice Luo Ye hadn’t liked his post.

But he wasn’t in a rush. The real revenge was yet to come—this was merely setting the stage.

Luo Ye backed out to his chat list and sent a message to Lan Ju.

[Luo Ye]: I’m already outside. Everything is ready.

[Lan Ju]: When are you heading out?

[Luo Ye]: No rush.

[Luo Ye]: Have you eaten dinner yet?

[Lan Ju]: Not yet.

[Luo Ye]: Okay, I’ll come find you.

[Lan Ju]: Sure.

[7 hours 10 minutes 01 second]

Luo Ye arrived at Lan Ju’s place, where Lan Ju was already waiting for him at the entrance of the stairwell. The two met up and went to a food stall for dinner.

Lan Ju seemed afraid that saying any more would make him cry, so he ate in relative silence this time, only uttering a sentence or two occasionally before lowering his head to eat his food.

Luo Ye smiled and said, “Don’t wear that face. Be happier—at least the memories right now are good, aren’t they? Be careful or the stall owner will think you don’t like the food and lose his mind.”

Lan Ju was instantly made to laugh: “You really are…”

The two gradually started chatting about the little details over the years, sinking into one warm memory after another.

Luo Ye suddenly felt that the first half of his life had actually been quite colorful.

Apart from those two things, as for his many remaining regrets—he would leave them to fulfill in his next life.

[6 hours 01 minute 02 seconds]

Having finished their meal, the two walked slowly down the street.

The snow continued to fall silently, fine flakes landing noiselessly on their shoulders and the road.

Luo Ye was very familiar with this road too. Across the street was a building whose first floor served as an ice-skating rink, while its second floor was an abandoned shopping mall. It was said to have been there for many years.

The blue glass windows weren’t very obvious at night, but inside the mall, there was always a surreal, dreamcore aesthetic.

Luo Ye was actually very good at ice skating. His body was agile, his balance superb, moving with fluid grace without a trace of stiffness.

The two of them skated half a lap. Halfway through, Luo Ye executed an upright spin, brought himself to a steady stop, and then glided lightly forward again.

“Did you take classes before?” Lan Ju gripped the railing tightly, asking with envy and helplessness.

“No, a friend of mine taught me,” Luo Ye said. “Sitting in an office chair for too long at work made me feel a bit stiff.”

Lan Ju looked at himself, barely able to walk: “…If you call that stiff, then what am I?”

A zombie?!

Luo Ye chuckled, slowing his speed to teach Lan Ju a few basic gliding movements: “Remember this well—there won’t be a free coach like me in the future.”

Lan Ju felt his eyes moistening again, furrowing his brows as he said, “Aiya, I just got better and here you go provoking me to cry again, huh?”

Luo Ye smiled and said, “This is called desensitization, so you won’t cry too hard when the time comes.”

“Is that something you should be saying? Isn’t your mindset a little too good?” Lan Ju sighed. “I really wish time would slow down.”

[59 minutes 36 seconds]

They watched two or three movies at home, and the clock finally reached 23:00. Luo Ye left his suitcase at Lan Ju’s house, and the two of them stepped out with just their phones and keys.

They took a taxi to an intersection at Nanyuan Road in North City. To their left was the direction leading to the city center; not far away, lights flickered, and the open barbecue shops were visible from a distance.

A short distance to their right stood the abandoned building. Quiet at midnight, there were very few pedestrians coming and going, with only a few old streetlights glowing.

They resolutely chose to turn right. Just as they were about to reach the entrance of the building, Luo Ye stopped in his tracks and reached out to block Lan Ju.

“I’ll just go in by myself. You stay here,” Luo Ye said.

“Why?” Lan Ju asked in confusion. “I need to watch over you!”

“I’m afraid they’ll treat you as a suspect when the time comes,” Luo Ye said.

“How is that possible?!” Lan Ju said loudly.

“Then how will you explain being here?” Luo Ye said earnestly. “There are security cameras leading up to this place, but no security guard or cameras inside. How will you explain yourself then?”

Lan Ju fell silent for a few seconds; he hadn’t thought that deeply.

That was true—no one would know how Luo Ye passed away when the time came. As the only person present, he would definitely be a prime suspect.

Forget about taking care of Luo Peng—Luo Peng might even view him as the enemy who killed his brother.

“…Alright then, I’ll wait for you here,” Lan Ju nodded and said. “When the time is almost up, I’ll go up to check on you.”

Luo Ye actually had a few more things to say—like thank you, or sorry.

Yet when the words reached his lips, they ultimately turned into a heavy hand resting on Lan Ju’s shoulder.

“Take care.”

[10 minutes 13 seconds]

Luo Ye had scouted the location beforehand; this abandoned building was the best preserved in the entire city.

The staircase had no damage whatsoever. Since the door to the rooftop wasn’t locked, he had even seen traces of cardboard boxes laid out by homeless people the last time he came.

Luo Ye pushed open the dilapidated iron door, and a blast of cold wind instantly rushed against his face, messing up his hair.

Standing on the rooftop, facing the pitch-black sky, the numbers of the “Life Countdown” hovered squarely and grandly in the air.

Only now did he notice that the countdown in the sky seemed to be growing visibly fainter as the time decreased.

In the distance, brilliant lights shimmered with moving shadows—a New Year’s Eve light show seemed to be underway, bustling with excitement.

Yet here, it was desolate and silent, with only the sound of his own breathing.

Luo Ye pulled out his phone, unlocked the screen, and sent two messages.

[Luo Ye]: Are you there?

[Luo Ye]: Are you free right now?

A few seconds after the messages went out, he received a reply from Chi Zhiyue.

[Chi Zhiyue]: I am.

[Luo Ye]: Can I call you?

[Chi Zhiyue]: Is it something very important?

Luo Ye had actually hesitated between texting or calling, but in the end, he chose to make a call.

Otherwise, what if Chi Zhiyue thought someone had hacked his account to send those texts? He would have to explain it all over again.

So he ultimately chose to call.

[Luo Ye]: Yes, very important.

[Luo Ye]: I feel like if I don’t say it now, I might never be able to say it.

[Chi Zhiyue]: Then go ahead and call. I’m free right now.

With five minutes left on the countdown, Luo Ye dialed that string of numbers.

After two rings, the call connected.

Chi Zhiyue’s pleasant, gentle voice came through the receiver: “Hello?”

Luo Ye said, “It’s Luo Ye.”

“I know,” Chi Zhiyue chuckled softly. “Are you spending New Year’s Eve at home?”

“No, I’m outside,” Luo Ye said.

“Oh, did you go to watch the fireworks?” Chi Zhiyue’s voice remained soft.

“No… let’s not talk about that,” Luo Ye answered instinctively, but quickly caught himself and held his forehead, his tone turning brisk and rapid: “I have something urgent to tell you.”

“Mhm, go ahead,” Chi Zhiyue said.

[3 minutes 21 seconds]

[3 minutes 20 seconds]

Luo Ye looked at the countdown in the sky, took a deep breath, and uttered the words:

“Actually, I’ve liked you for a really long time.”

The moment he finished speaking, he immediately hung up the call, turned off his phone completely, and shoved it into his coat pocket.

He didn’t know what expression Chi Zhiyue had—maybe complete bewilderment, maybe disgust, or most likely wanting to throw his phone away.

Maybe he’d even spray it twice with disinfectant. But no matter what, none of it had anything to do with him anymore.

Standing in the freezing wind, the corners of Luo Ye’s lips arched up involuntarily, his heart filled with the refreshing satisfaction of a successful revenge.

He even began humming a song softly, waiting for his own death.

[30 seconds]

[29 seconds]

[28 seconds]

When it reached the final five seconds, Luo Ye closed his eyes and began counting down in his heart.

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

…

The expected pain never arrived. Instead, a clear, festive cheer echoed from far away: “Happy New Year!”

…Happy, Happy New Year?!

Luo Ye snapped his eyes open, looking up at the sky in complete shock.

The countdown that was supposed to disappear reappeared.

[8759 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]

[8759 hours 59 minutes 58 seconds]

[8759 hours 59 minutes 57 seconds]

Luo Ye: “…?”

It was a New Year countdown all along?!

He wasn’t going to die?!

Then what he just said…

Trembling uncontrollably, Luo Ye fished out his phone and pressed the power button again.

Once it booted up, the screen instantly popped up with 97 missed calls, along with a text message sent from that same number just moments ago.

——Where are we going for our date tomorrow?

Luo Ye: “?”

????????????