A week passed by quietly, like flowing water.
Yu Qing’s life seemed to return to how it was before he got that strange camera—Classroom, Cafeteria, Dormitory.
The same three-point routine.
The Iron Box containing the Black Pearl was hidden in the deepest part of the bookshelf, a few professional books piled on top as if trying to bury it from memory as well.
On Saturday afternoon, sunlight lazily crept into the Dormitory, casting warm yellow patches on the floor.
Tiny dust particles floated in the air, mixed with the lingering, subtle scent of instant noodles and sweat.
“Old Yu! Flash in and CC them! What are you OB-ing over there for?”
Zhang Li’s roar nearly blew the roof off.
He hammered the keyboard, eyes glued to the screen, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Are you trying to kill me? The CD isn’t up yet, how am I supposed to CC with my head?”
Yu Qing cursed, but his fingers flew across the keyboard, making his character retreat.
“The enemy jungler is here, fall back, fall back!”
“Fall back my ass! Fight them!”
Zhang Haoxuan was so excited he nearly jumped out of his chair, headphones askew.
“I can finish them! Trust me!”
“Trust you, my ass! Last time you said that, you gave them a triple kill!”
Despite shouting, Yu Qing still turned his character back and threw a crucial control.
Skill effects flashed wildly on the screen.
Finally, three enemies fell, with only Zhang Haoxuan sacrificed on their side.
“Nice! Wasn’t that awesome?”
Zhang Li excitedly yanked off his headphones, slapping Yu Qing on the shoulder.
“Awesome, awesome, you nearly made me deaf.”
Yu Qing pushed him away in disgust, but couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips.
“Haoxuan, why did you die again?”
Li Ming, who had been quietly farming, adjusted his glasses and calmly cleared the lane.
“I sacrificed for the team! What do you guys know?”
Zhang Haoxuan bought equipment in frustration.
“Next round, I want kill compensation!”
“Fine, fine, you can have the next wave of minions.”
Yu Qing laughed, grabbing the Cola nearby for a sip.
This kind of afternoon was too familiar—the mutual roasting, the noise, the game interface.
Everything seemed unchanged.
But some things, in the end, were different.
Yu Qing’s gaze would occasionally drift toward the bookshelf.
That Iron Box seemed to silently radiate temptation.
The entire “Fu Yi experience” felt like a vivid dream.
Even after waking, the sensation lingered at his fingertips—the softness of cashmere sweaters, the delicacy of lace underwear, even the admiring looks from passersby.
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the game.
“Old Yu, you’re off today.”
After another round, Chen Hao suddenly leaned over, squinting at him.
“You’re half a beat slow, and your positioning sucks. Did you get dumped?”
“Dumped, my ass.”
Yu Qing pushed Chen Hao’s face away as it got closer.
“Watch how you talk to your dad.”
“No, something’s up.”
Zhang Haoxuan joined the inspection.
“You’ve been acting weird lately, spending more time in the Dormitory and not even coming to the internet café when we call. Confess, are you in an online romance?”
“Romance, my ass. I’ve never even been to an internet café, okay?”
Yu Qing cursed with a laugh, though his heart tightened a little.
“See? He won’t even look at us!”
Chen Hao looked as if he discovered a new continent.
“There’s definitely something!”
Yu Qing rolled his eyes helplessly.
“If there’s something, it’s with your mom.”
He grabbed his phone.
“Not playing anymore, I’m starving. Are you coming to eat?”
“Topic change!”
Zhang Haoxuan accused, but still stood up.
“Eat! Dad’s buying. The Cafeteria’s got new Spicy Hotpot, I hear it’s good.”
“Whoa, Haoxuan’s buying? The sun must be rising in the west.”
Li Ming finally gave up the game.
“Get lost, get lost. Just this once, come if you want.”
The four of them bickered their way out of the Dormitory building.
The sunlight was a little dazzling.
Yu Qing squinted instinctively, scanning the crowd.
There was no tall, familiar figure.
He breathed a small sigh of relief, yet felt a trace of unspeakable loss.
This week, he had indeed been avoiding Fu Yi.
Her messages always came with long intervals, short and perfunctory.
“Mm,” “Okay,” “Thanks, junior.”
Whenever he might run into her, Yu Qing would take a detour in advance.
Deep down, Yu Qing was afraid to see her.
Afraid those eyes would see through the darkness in his heart.
That crazy, tempting urge to replace her hadn’t disappeared after a week of cooling off.
Instead, it quietly fermented in his mind, like old wine.
On Fu Yi’s side, she didn’t seem to care much about his distance.
Their chat ended two days ago.
She sent:
“Senior, have you been busy lately? There’s new progress on the project~”
Yu Qing replied:
“Yeah, a bit busy. Congratulations.”
And that was it.
Someone like her probably always had exciting things and people in her life.
A senior who was occasionally helpful and a bit interesting might be just a tiny dot in her vast social circle—disappearing wouldn’t attract much attention.
Yu Qing opened her WeChat Moments—a cold horizontal line.
The junior seemed to never post, or maybe she just blocked him.
That possibility left a strange lump in his chest.
“What are you looking at? Not even watching the road.”
Zhang Li bumped him.
“Which girl are you looking at now?”
“Your sister.”
Yu Qing locked the screen and stuffed his phone into his pocket.
“My sister’s only in ninth grade, have mercy.”
Zhang Li pressed his palms together.
The four of them made their noisy way to the Cafeteria.
The sunlight stretched their shadows long.
Yu Qing walked in the middle, listening to his roommates’ pointless banter and boasting.
A familiar warmth wrapped around him.
But beneath this warmth, something had quietly changed.
Like Pandora’s Box, Yu Qing knew it was poison, yet still found himself drawn toward it.
The Iron Box hidden deep in the bookshelf was like a stone dropped into a lake, ripples silently spreading and disturbing his once peaceful life.
The steam of Spicy Hotpot fogged the faces of the four young men.
The scent of chili mingled with the fizz of beer.
Yu Qing was forced by his roommates to tell a not-very-funny joke, drawing exaggerated boos and laughter.
He suddenly felt this was good, too.
Turning back before stepping onto that path of no return, living his ordinary, simple life.
In this clamor, Yu Qing temporarily forgot the temptation, and also the distant junior.
Only occasionally, between bursts of laughter, did his gaze drift away.
On the other side of the city, Fu Yi had just escaped a long family dinner.
Sitting in the car on the way home, she watched the neon lights outside the window, her fingers unconsciously swiping her phone screen.
The chat paused at that perfunctory “Mm.”
She glanced at it, then exited.
Not someone worth caring about.
Although the interesting senior seemed to have turned a bit strange, compared to those who wanted her life, he was insignificant.
Thoughts of Yu Qing flickered briefly, quickly replaced by the next schedule reminder.
Outside the window, the city lights flowed by like a river of stars.
Fu Yi suddenly felt irritated and turned off the last light in the back seat.