Chapter 1: Childhood Friend

Chapter 1: Childhood Friend

Early morning.

A light drizzle pattered against the tin rooftops, tapping out a restless rhythm.

Children splashed about in the puddles below, old uncles and aunties chatted loudly under umbrellas, and cars rumbled down the wet streets. Bit by bit, the quiet little town came alive, and the noise woke up the young man living in a rowhouse by the roadside.

Stretching lazily, Shen Yan pulled open his curtains. Through the curtain of rain, across the street less than ten meters away, he spotted the third-floor window of the opposite building.

There, a short-haired girl was stretching her back like a cat just waking up.

The sight tugged at something deep inside him, and before he realized it, Shen Yan was smiling warmly. Just like always, he raised his hand to wave at her—

—only for his arm to freeze midway. His body stiffened, and it felt like a heavy stone had been dropped onto his chest. The smile slipped from his lips. His hand lowered awkwardly.

“Shen Yan! Shen Yan!”

But the girl had already leaned half her body out of the window, happily waving and calling out to him.

“Morning! Careful, don’t lean too far!”

He forced himself to smile and wave back, but when he pulled his arm down, a sigh slipped out—heavy, conflicted.

Just a few days ago, tragedy had struck. His childhood friend, Chen Shiyu, had gone hiking with her family at dawn, and by noon, the news came: she’d fallen off a cliff and gone missing.

She was found by the police and rescue teams later that same day. The injuries weren’t serious—just a sprained ankle and a broken phone.

It should’ve been a relief. A miracle, even.

But to Shen Yan… something about her didn’t feel the same anymore.

“Did she… hit her head or something?” he muttered while heading to wash up.

Not long after, he heard his parents greeting someone downstairs with their usual enthusiasm.

“Shishi, you’re here! Go on up to the third floor—Shen Yan should still be brushing his teeth.”

“Okay! Sorry to bother~”

Shen Yan poked his head out of the bathroom just in time to see Chen Shiyu, barefoot and limping slightly, making her way up the stairs.

“Coming over this early?” he asked through a mouthful of toothpaste. “What for?”

“To hang out with you, duh. My ankle’s still messed up, so I can’t really go anywhere far.” She pouted playfully, hands on her hips. “If you’re not happy about it, I can always go bother someone else.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Same as always—lively, cheeky, just a little bit spoiled.

That familiar warmth stirred in his chest, and his unease faded a little. Shen Yan grinned, teasing, “Still, a boy and a girl alone together… people might talk, you know.”

“My parents don’t care. Anyway, I’m going to your room first~”

Moving like she owned the place, Chen Shiyu trotted into his bedroom, grabbed a half-empty bottle of Coke, downed it in one gulp, then flopped onto the bed. She stretched out with a lazy little sigh, twisting her slender waist before curling up comfortably.

A moment later, her eyes wandered to his computer by the desk. She stared at it, unmoving, like she was itching to touch it.

By then Shen Yan had finished brushing and straightened up his messy hair, slicking it back in a neat part.

“You wanna watch a drama or a variety show?” he asked.

Chen Shiyu sat up cross-legged, clutching her bare feet and rocking back and forth, her expression conflicted. “I could just use my phone for that. Besides, I came here to do homework, okay? You think I only ever play around?”

“…Did you even bring your homework?”

“Of course! Vocabulary book—today I’m memorizing words!”

They chatted idly as Shen Yan booted up his computer. Without much thought, he opened up CS:GO.

Like most guys his age, he loved games. Days split between carrying his team in CS and grinding in MOBAs, sometimes picking up cheap single-player games or even visual novels—though most of them ended up abandoned in his library, untouched.

Normally, Chen Shiyu hated watching him play. Every time, she’d nag him about wasting his time.

But today… She was strangely quiet.

Through the faint reflection in the screen, Shen Yan noticed her stretching her neck, eyes locked on the monitor. He couldn’t tell if she was watching the game—or watching him.

He chuckled, glancing back at her.

“Wanna play a round?”

Chen Shiyu lowered her head almost on reflex, flipping open her vocabulary booklet as if to shield herself.

“Me? No way. What’s so fun about video games?” She refused without hesitation.

“Come on, just try it. What if you end up liking it?”

“Ugh… all that shooting and killing…”

Her brows furrowed in a cute little frown, her baby-fat cheeks puffing up with protest. But her big round eyes kept darting around restlessly, clearly betraying her curiosity.

“C’mon, just one round?”

That final nudge broke down her defenses. She hopped off the bed, trying hard to look reluctant, but her steps were practically skipping as she made her way to the computer.

“Fine. Just for a bit,” she muttered, but the gleam in her eyes said otherwise.

Shen Yan stood up and gave her the chair. From the side, he watched as she naturally placed her fingers on the WASD keys like she’d done it before. Her eyes sparkled—bright enough to glow—and her lips trembled ever so slightly, as if holding back a grin.

Shen Yan’s smile faltered. His expression went blank.

Outside, cars drove past, voices floated up from the street, and in his headphones, the sound of gunfire rattled endlessly. But beneath it all, a deafening ringing noise filled his head, like an echo hammering straight into his skull.

The holiday heat pressed in at nearly thirty degrees, but Shen Yan felt cold. His back prickled with goosebumps.

Da-da-da-da!

A full clip emptied out, bullets spraying wildly. Chen Shiyu leaned in close to the screen, tense and absorbed.

“Seriously?! Why does this guy have so much HP? What is he, made of iron?!” she cursed without thinking.

“….”

The words slipped out before she remembered Shen Yan was standing right there. She tried to cover it up with a quick huff.

“See? Boring. You can’t even kill anyone. Why do you waste your time on this stuff?”

“Ah? Uh, yeah…”

Shen Yan lowered his gaze, staring at her face.

Her skin was flawless and pale, her brows slim as willow leaves. The corners of her eyes tilted downward ever so slightly—something that should have made her look fragile and innocent. Yet, for some reason, it reminded Shen Yan of a fox. A sly, sharp fox.

It made no sense. This cute, pure face had nothing foxlike about it.

But the longer he looked, the stronger that twisted, alien feeling became. His heart raced, his breathing quickened, and a suffocating pressure welled up in his chest.

Something was wrong. Not just the game. Small details here and there… they didn’t add up.

He couldn’t shake the thought.

What if this wasn’t Chen Shiyu at all?

“…Shishi,” he finally said.

“What?” she replied casually, eyes still glued to the screen.

“You’ve… changed a lot, haven’t you?”

“Me? Not really.” She flatly denied it, then added with a teasing lilt, “I mean, I did almost die the other day, remember? Maybe my mood’s been a little off.”

“…You are Chen Shiyu, right?”

The words hung heavy in the air.

The world went silent. No street noise, no gunshots—just the girl before him.

“What else would I be?”

She turned, smiling sweetly—so sweet it felt like honey melting in the heart.

“You never even touched mobile games before.”

“I just thought… maybe I should learn more about your hobbies.” She propped her chin in her hand, tilting her head toward him with a playful smile. “Don’t you feel like we’ve drifted apart lately? Half the time we don’t even know what to talk about anymore.”

“…Is that so?”

“Mm-hm. But if I pick this up, I can play games with you from now on!”

The knot in Shen Yan’s chest loosened. He let out a long breath, then reached out and ruffled her hair. “You should’ve said so earlier. I was starting to think you really were possessed by a ghost or something.”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts, dummy.”

Chen Shiyu’s eyes curved into a smile, but there was something faintly strained about it. As his hand lingered on her head, her eyelids twitched.

'Quit touching my damn head, bastard!'