It was hard to imagine that this abandoned building, already so dilapidated it could be classified as dangerous, was inhabited by anyone at all on a normal day.
He walked slowly along the mottled walls. The air was thick with decay, and every step he took on the dust-covered floor stirred up fine particles. Corners covered in cobwebs looked eerie and sinister in the dim light.
He continued forward without stopping until he reached a locked door marked “Storage Room.”
Jiang Chi stared at the door, its rusted and worn surface exuding a suffocating aura of decay.
Could this be where her final secret was hidden? Jiang Chi wondered.
Who was she? Where did she come from? Why had she approached him? What was her purpose?
After hesitating for a long moment, he pulled out a piece of wire and fiddled with the doorknob for a while. Then came a crisp “click” sound. He pressed his hand gently against the door.
Lately, he had been training hard and had made some progress—lifting a bucket of water up to the eighth floor was no problem. But this time, the door felt incredibly heavy, as if opening it would reveal an entirely new world.
The door creaked open, and a pungent stench of rot mixed with deep darkness rushed out. He quickly found the light switch, and in an instant, as if dawn pierced the night, the room was flooded with light.
The door closed behind him.
The room was empty except for a desk and chair and a bed. On the bed lay a few pieces of women’s clothing. On the desk sat a thermos, a notebook, and a pink diary. There was nothing else.
Jiang Chi’s eyes were drawn to the pink diary on the desk. He instinctively picked it up. The title read 《How to Make Jiang Chi Cry Your Heart Out: A Practical Manual》.
He silently read the title in his mind.
The pristine pages flipped open, revealing dense handwriting.
February 14: Confession failed. Embarrassed in front of the whole school. Jiang Chi, I’m not done with you!
February 16: Lost face, got really angry. Drank several bottles of alcohol. No, I must get revenge!
February 17: Got it! I’ll make Jiang Chi suffer until he cries! I just happened to find a double-sided silver coin that can transform—perfect for my plan. Heh heh heh~
As for this girl’s name… Ji Qingchan it shall be, just like my surname.
March 1: Step one: Successfully made contact with Jiang Chi. Kekeke! Capturing him is just around the corner!
March 5: ………..
Jiang Chi had no interest in reading further. He was frozen as if under a petrification spell, standing rigidly like stone. The diary slipped from his trembling hands and hit the floor with a dull, heavy thud.
Time seemed to freeze. After a long, long while, the boy slowly snapped out of it and bent down with trembling hands to pick up the diary, placing it back on the desk.
But his once clear, intelligent blue eyes were now dark and unsettled, filling one with unease.
“Capture me…”
“Make me cry my heart out…”
“Gahahahaha!!”
The boy’s laughter grew sharper and more piercing, as if the sound had been squeezed out from clenched teeth under extreme repression, carrying a bone-chilling coldness that sent shivers down the spine.
“Then let me see who you really are!!”
“Ji! Qing! Chan!!”
He grabbed the thermos cup, his fingers trembling as he pressed down on the little bear’s eyes. Suddenly, a memory card fell straight out from the bottom, landing squarely in his palm. He eagerly inserted it into his phone.
After a moment, the screen flickered, and a video popped up.
The pale glow of the phone mercilessly illuminated the boy’s face, making his gaze even darker and more terrifying. His eyes followed every move of the “Ji Qingchan” in the video—writing in the diary, his eyes unblinking; undressing, his gaze never wavered; sleeping naked… and then—
Ding! The silver coin flipped, perfectly caught by a slender, delicate hand.
The girl wearing an oversized T-shirt and jeans suddenly underwent a drastic transformation, growing taller and broader at an incredible, almost unbelievable speed.
In less than three seconds, there was no trace left of the innocent girl—only a young man with a somewhat refined appearance remained standing there.
And that young man was none other than
“Ji Yue Nian?!”
“No! This can’t be!!”
Jiang Chi was horrified! He shook his head in denial!
He was Ji Qingchan!
No! It couldn’t be!!
Impossible!!
But no matter how much Jiang Chi denied it, the undeniable truth was right before his eyes.
Ji Yue Nian was Ji Qingchan.
“Impossible, impossible, this can’t be…”
“He can’t be! He can’t be!!”
Jiang Chi panicked.
Jiang Chi rushed.
Jiang Chi went mad.
Ji Yue Nian cannot be Ji Qingchan!
Ji Yue Nian cannot be Ji Qingchan!
Ji Yue Nian cannot be Ji Qingchan!
It’s fake, it’s fake, this is definitely fake, it has to be fake!!
Jiang Chi stormed out of the room like a madman!!
In the early hours, the cold moonlight shone faintly on the ground like scattered grains of salt, casting a chilling pale glow.
The boy wandered alone across the vast earth, disheveled and lost, sometimes crying out in anguish, sometimes sitting in a daze, sometimes smiling foolishly.
All the while murmuring words no one else could understand.
“Impossible, impossible…”
“This is fake, fake!”
“He can’t be her, he can’t be her…”
“Wuwu…”
“Qingchan, my Qingchan…”
…….
“Perhaps it is because one does not know dreams that the wandering soul chases after illusions.”
Elsewhere in the city, in a warm room, Zhang Junfang closed the physical copy of 《Dragon Clan》 with a sigh after finishing it once again.
Suddenly, a small head popped in, softly and adorably asking, “Teacher, teacher, you’ve read this book so many times, don’t you get tired of it?”
“It’s Jiang Nan’s old classic. No matter how many times I read it, I can’t help but sigh.”
“It’s just a pity the later parts are a mess. They say it’s Dragon Five, but it’s really just Dragon Four with some revisions, and the characterizations got wrecked.”
Zhang Junfang said as he got up to put the book back on the shelf. Little Yan Qing followed obediently, rubbing against his waist.
“Teacher, teacher, what did you mean by what you just said? Tell me, I’m really curious.”
Hearing this, Zhang Junfang was momentarily stunned, then rubbed the little boy’s soft short hair with a smile and teased, “You’ve read it too, so why ask me? There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand readers’ hearts.”
“I just like hearing you talk about it~” The little guy tilted his head, eyes full of expectation.
Zhang Junfang was amused by his cuteness. If only the boy didn’t have this teacher-worship vibe, it would be even better. After a pause, he patted the boy’s head and began.
“This phrase, I see it in three layers of meaning.
“The first is like ‘In dreams unaware I am but a guest, one moment’s pleasure.’ Those who don’t realize they’re dreaming chase illusions in that dream.
“The second is perhaps not knowing one’s true dream, so they pursue empty fantasies.
“And the third meaning…”
Zhang Junfang looked up at the window. A bright moon shone, its silver light draping the earth in a gauzy veil. His gaze seemed to pierce through that veil, staring into the sky.
“An obsession so strong, even knowing what’s before you is false, you refuse to believe or deny it, choosing instead to chase and seek. Even knowing it’s like a moth to the flame, self-destructive and doomed, you still do it without hesitation.”
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Oh no 😵