Chapter 15

Chapter 15

At six in the morning.

The lower bunk in the dorm still had a faint blue glow reflecting off the screen.

Ye Jishu stared at the screen, his amber eyes darkening as he focused intensely.

A few minutes later.

Blood slowly oozed from the top two corners of the screen.

Then, the word "End" slowly appeared on the screen.

This was the indicator that the game had been completed.

...Done.

Ye Jishu glanced at the live stream interface.

The entire playthrough had also been successfully recorded.

Below the stream, the current viewer count was displayed.

His streaming time was unconventional, and he hadn’t announced it to anyone.

Yet, even so, over ten thousand people were currently watching.

Ye Jishu exited full-screen mode, moved the mouse, and hovered over the top right corner of the game interface.

As soon as he did that, a flood of comments immediately filled the chat.

"Wait, are you ending the stream?"

"I couldn’t resist staying up all night watching—your skills are insane. The game was on the hardest mode, and you didn’t die once. If this weren’t live, I’d swear I was watching a highlight reel. Did you really not look up any guides beforehand??"

"What guides? The game just dropped at midnight..."

"Don’t be shocked—I’m a long-time fan. YJS is as skilled as his name implies."

Ye Jishu’s streamer name was just his initials typed out randomly, without much thought.

But maybe because of the homophonic pun, people started calling him 'skilled.'

It came off as pretty cocky.

Like some kind of overachiever.

Because of his super quiet streaming style, people in the chat sometimes speculated about his age, identity, and stuff like that.

Either way, most guesses were way off.

So far, Ye Jishu hadn’t said a single word during his streams, so it’s no surprise people guessed wrong.

"At least twenty hours of gameplay, and you cleared it in under six. I’m in awe, dude."

"Wuwu, I’m not ready for it to end—can you stream a little longer? Please?"

"Can you say something this time?"

"Please, I'm so curious, bro, say something..."

...

"Will you attend the July streamer gathering this year? I really want to know what you look like..."

Anyone who's watched Ye Jishu's streams knows he usually cuts off the broadcast right after finishing a game, leaving no time for chit-chat. So, even though these requests pop up, the comments are often filled with playful pleas.

This time, it was business as usual.

Without any delay, he closed the game, ended the stream, and wrapped up the fan interaction session.

However, this time.

Something was different.

Ye Jishu took off his headphones, pushed his chair back, and stood up, staring at the damp lower edge of the balcony curtains from the rain.

Usually, he'd just tune out the game's storyline.

After all, it was just a way to kill time and blow off steam, not worth the brain space.

But...

The game's content surfaced in his mind.

The protagonist, A, was a student at a prestigious school, living a pretty ordinary campus life. Even though he often overheard classmates gossiping about supernatural happenings at school, he never really paid it any mind.

"Ghosts? Yeah, right."

This was something he firmly believed in his nineteen years of life.

As a folklore student, the scariest thing he'd ever faced was realizing how tough it was to find a job in his field.

But then, things took a wild turn.

It happened during a date with his long-term boyfriend, when a staff screw-up at a haunted house left them locked in a tight spot.

By then, it was already midnight.

He was exhausted.

Without a word to his boyfriend, Protagonist A plopped down on a prop bed.

Just as he was about to look up and speak to his boyfriend, he noticed his boyfriend's face go stiff, his eyes rolling, muttering, "Where are you? Why can't I see you? A, did you leave me and go to another room? Please answer me. A, where are you? I can't see you...?"

His calm but slightly frantic voice echoed in the tight space.

He was standing right there in front of him.

His boyfriend wasn't blind.

Nothing around them had changed.

But it was the sheer normalcy of it all that sent a chill down his spine.

As a folklore student.

He knew of a particular piece of folklore.

At midnight, if the tips of your shoes point towards the bed, ghosts can locate you by following the direction the shoes point. At the same time, if the shoes are placed haphazardly or there are no shoes by the bed, the ghosts cannot see the humans lying on the bed...

Ye Jishu understood this easily.

This was probably because Yan Mei studied folklore.

In his free time, he also noticed what the other was reading.

And that book had very noticeable markings.

Under similar text, someone had drawn a red line with a ballpoint pen.

The pen had even torn the paper from the excessive pressure.

As he read this, Yan Mei suddenly turned and stared at him.

The fingers stroking his hair and touching his cheek turned icy cold. And the kiss lingering behind his ear sent a spine-chilling shiver through him.

Because of this, Ye Jishu couldn't help but remember.

...

This was likely a setup akin to "only the invited can see," consistent with the notion that many evil beings can only enter a house if invited.

It is even said that—

Some people with insulating bodies, if they desperately want to stay hidden, evil beings can't see them.

Red text flashed in the center of the game screen.

And the once gentle boyfriend, as he neurotically repeated "where are you," "don't avoid me," the skin on his face peeled away, revealing a side of his face infested with worms and smeared with blood.

"Get out of the haunted house."

"Avoid the boyfriend; don't let him know you've noticed something's wrong."

"A, where are you? Stop playing hide and seek with me..."

The game's built-in voice played, and the perspective shifted to first person.

From this point, the player could take control of the protagonist's actions.

But beyond the controls—

"The game setting... is really bad."

Long hours of sleep deprivation and staring at one spot made Ye Jishu's eyes ache, but he kept his gaze fixed on the curtain without blinking.

"Terrible, absolutely terrible."

"A kind, caring, and popular boyfriend turns out to be a ghost? Just to hide the truth, that's why he agreed to be with protagonist A. Because the other person is an ordinary individual, being with them doesn't risk revealing any anomalies, and so on."

"Terrible."

Ye Jishu thought expressionlessly.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the bed curtain beside him.

He didn't turn around.

Since there were only two people in the dorm room.

"So... are you still planning to go on that date today?"

His roommate's nervous voice piped up from behind.

The tone, for some reason, carried an inexplicable mix of anticipation and panic, flickering like eyes that had never met.

An intense stare was locked onto him, seemingly with no intention of looking away.

It seemed like his roommate was unusually fixated on his date with Yan Mei.

Ye Jishu paused his motion to turn around.

He wasn't sure how his roommate knew about his plans with Yan Mei today, but—

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Even after pulling an all-nighter gaming? You're still going?"

"Yeah."

He had indeed been up all night gaming.

Most people would crash and sleep, not head out for the day.

But the games Ye Jishu played often had season updates at dawn.

Or, mid-game, he'd remember his major class homework was due, forcing an all-nighter.

One day without sleep? No big deal.

Skipping sleep was manageable.

Ye Jishu was used to this routine.

Unless he was in a quiet, comfy spot or bored, sleepiness didn't hit him, making late nights easy.

Plus, this was his second date with Yan Mei—no way he'd slack off.

"Oh... I see."

His roommate's voice dropped, tinged with disappointment, then quickly, hopefully, pressed again.

"Really, um, you're not going to—rethink this?"

"Nope."

This time, there was no wiggle room.

His words hung in the air, plunging the dorm into silence.

After a moment, rustling came from behind Ye Jishu—his roommate burrowing into bed, the sheets whispering despair.

"Ugh... what do I do? I can't just say it—"

"......"

Huh. Sure enough, muffled sobs came from under the covers.

I feel bad about this.

Although he felt apologetic, Ye Jishu did not turn his head.

His gaze dropped, fixated on the damp edge of the balcony curtain, feeling the fabric grow heavy under his touch.

"He doesn't seem like a good match for Yan Mei."

"For someone like Yan Mei, always at the center of attention, a loner who stays cooped up in the dorm would surely be a turn-off, just like how he insists on dragging me, unwilling, to all sorts of places. If it were a roommate, they'd likely refuse to budge. Yan Mei would surely be furious then."

"Since his ex was someone like me, then his current boyfriend... should be a better fit for Yan Mei."

He pushed the distracting thoughts from his mind.

Only one thought lingered.

Today...

I'm actually going on a date.

Ye Jishu lifted the curtain and peeked out from the corner of the dormitory building. At six in the morning, many buildings were still unlit, looming in the misty dawn. But with the sky clear of clouds, the rising sun promised a scorching summer day.

This summer has been unusually strange.

The sky is perpetually overcast, and even the weather forecast keeps predicting rain.

Yet, the temperature hasn't let up, leaving people feeling weighed down and sticky.

Even on the rare clear days, the heat is relentless, making those in the sun feel as if they're being pelted by sudden rain. If you step out in a white T-shirt, your back will be drenched in sweat.

Ye Jishu looked down, took out his phone, and checked today's temperature.

The highest temperature is 38°.

A short-sleeved shirt should suffice.

Then, he'd need to switch to comfy sneakers, since he'd be walking a ton.

Completely different from Ye Jishu.

Yan Mei is not the type to find a place to sit down after arriving at a tourist spot; he will definitely drag him around to see everything.

It feels... so tiring.

Even before going out, I already feel like I might die today...

Only for Yan Mei.

If it were anyone else, I would absolutely not go out, preferring to lie in the dorm all day playing mobile games.

Ye Jishu put away his phone.

But just as he was about to lower the curtain, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a figure downstairs, and his movements paused involuntarily.

...It's Yan Mei.

He really arrived early.

He changed into a set of clothes that looked good even from a distance, and even without seeing his face clearly, it was hard not to stare. Yan Mei has always been the focus of the crowd, the center of attention, and even when he coldly looks at his phone, he forms an extreme contrast with the students around him who are heading to early classes.

Ye Jishu gently opened the balcony door and stepped out.

He had never observed Yan Mei like this before.

Because Yan Mei was always sensitive to being watched.

Whenever Ye Jishu looked at him, even if it was just a quick glance, Yan Mei would immediately notice and come over to cling to him.

Even so, holding Yan Mei's gaze for too long felt like it required something beyond understanding.

So, Ye Jishu always casually averted his eyes the moment Yan Mei looked his way.

And then the moment was gone.

"If only."

"I hope Yan Mei doesn't notice me right now."

I just want to keep looking a little longer.

An intense, unprecedented thought flashed through Ye Jishu's mind.

Please don't notice me.

But his wish didn’t stand a chance.

As usual, Yan Mei noticed his gaze almost instantly, looking up from his phone and glancing his way.

The shadows of the trees swayed.

The morning breeze swept by, and in the rustling of the leaves, their eyes seemed to meet.

They were only on the fourth floor.

So, Yan Mei must have seen him.

At the thought.

Ye Jishu's heart skipped a beat.

But then.

Instead of his usual smile, Yan Mei looked cold, almost like Ye Jishu was a stranger, and quickly looked back down at his phone, typing something.

Ye Jishu was silent.

...

Was he still mad?

He was confused.

After a moment.

He looked down at his phone again, checking the time.

6:20.

He wasn’t late yet. So there was no excuse...

At this moment, Ye Jishu's phone buzzed suddenly, and a new message popped up at the top of the screen.

"Jishu, are you up yet? Try not to be late."

"I got you some breakfast. Do you want to eat it in the dorm room or later in the car? I drove."

Ye Jishu froze in place, stunned.

It felt like a splash of cold water had been poured over him.

His fingers, heart, and body all went cold.

It was a message from Yan Mei.

Strange.

It seemed like he hadn't... noticed him.