They leaned on each other all the way to the front gate. Luo Yuan had started to hallucinate strange things by the time they arrived.
Chen Fengling closed her umbrella. They separated.
The fragrance that lingered around her faded, and he found himself regretting not breathing it in a little more. He mentally slapped himself—how could he think that way about a girl this pure, who trusted him so deeply?
Still… maybe it was just the way she closed the umbrella, but it felt like she brushed against him, almost like a puppy rubbing close.
"Luo Yuan, don't be shy. Treat this place like your home," she said with a smile, hanging his jacket on the wall.
"Go take a shower. You'll catch a cold."
She said it casually, then walked into her bedroom.
Luo Yuan watched her walk away. For a second, it felt like they were already married.
He turned to the bathroom. For a moment, his thoughts drifted, but then he remembered this place was brand new—she had only moved in today. She hadn't even used the shower yet. That settled it.
He tested the water temperature and let the events of the day play back in his head.
He never expected the unpopular online friend to be such a sweet girl. She felt like a harmless little creature—nervous, always watching his face like she was scared he'd be upset.
When she saw him soaked from the rain, the way she reacted—worried and gentle—it left no room for blame. She didn't even mention that he hadn't waited at the library.
He remembered how warm and soft she felt when he held her. He bent forward and let the cold water hit his face.
"Calm down. She trusts you. Don't go imagining things like that."
But the image of her rubbing against his chest—like a kitten—kept coming back. He'd always preferred fictional girls, but today he found himself questioning everything. She was more charming than fiction, more real than any anime girl.
After the shower, he stepped out. The living room was empty, but a new set of clothes had been left in the most convenient spot.
"Just leave your clothes on the washer. Come to my room when you're dressed," she called out. She must have heard the door open. Her tone was light—like she'd said the same thing a hundred times.
The clothes fit better than expected. He looked in the mirror. Clean from the shower, dressed in a new outfit, he looked almost scholarly. He gave himself a nod.
Luo Yuan opened the bedroom door and froze.
She sat on a floor cushion, her silver hair spilling past her waist like a waterfall. Green leaf-shaped ornaments and a white rose clip decorated her hair.
She looked like an angel visiting the human world.
Her face carried the pure smile of a child. Beside her, there was an open space—left just for him.
"Let's play games for a bit. We promised, remember?"
Her voice was open, with no hint of hesitation. The computer was already on, connected to two controllers—one black, one white—just like the two of them sitting face to face.
Behind her stood the simple white bed and pink wallpaper they had chosen together earlier that morning.
Most of the furniture had been picked with his help. The room hadn't looked this cute before. She had taken all his suggestions seriously and accepted them with care.
Maybe it was her smile, but the whole room felt warm. The chaos outside, the storm, all of it faded. The game console hummed quietly. This was her small world.
And right now, it was open only to him.
He stood there for a moment, caught in the moment, until Chen Fengling tilted her head in confusion.
"Is something wrong?"
She noticed his gaze and asked softly.
"No, it's nothing."
He sat down and couldn't help but pat her head.
She didn't pull away. She closed her eyes and looked content.
The game started. The tension eased. They slipped into the rhythm they knew from playing online.
"You guys hold them off. I'll go break the bed," Luo Yuan said through voice chat.
"Alright. Time for them to feel the wrath of a real PvP player."
In the game, Fengling made a clean side jump and charged forward with another teammate, clashing with the yellow team head-on. Her high CPS and sharp movement knocked one enemy straight into the void.
Once their bed was exposed, she held the respawn point by herself.
"Luo Yuan, get ready to break the bed."
She called out while taking down poorly-equipped enemies as they respawned.
"Broken. Totally broken," someone typed in chat.
Fengling replied instantly, fingers moving fast:
"You're right. It's a strength potion—short duration, long wind-up, useless if you don't strike first."
Even while typing, her in-game control didn't falter.
Luo Yuan watched her. She was focused and full of energy.
This was how she always was during games. She never swore or acted rude, but her skill was real. He had once thought she was just a quiet trash-talker, but right now, she looked adorable.
They switched to survival mode next, then played a few other games. By the time they checked the clock, it was late.
Fengling exhaled and set her controller down. Her heartbeat slowed.
She looked at Luo Yuan and smiled.
It had been a long time since she played this happily. The days before the catastrophe already felt like another lifetime. The last time she had known such peace… it was long ago.
Luo Yuan had returned to her life. She no longer had to fight monsters every night. She no longer had to cry alone to deal with her grief.
She wished things could stay like this. Just the two of them, living a quiet, ordinary life until the end.
But the end was coming. The apocalypse was near. This fragile peace would shatter.
Maybe tonight was the last peaceful night.
"Fengling, it's late. I should head back to the dorm. Try not to stay up too long," he said, grabbing his jacket.
He had stayed long enough. He sighed, thinking about how he would explain this to his three dormmates. Usually, he wouldn't have dared, but meeting Fengling had stirred something in him. A voice inside told him he couldn't stay weak.
She was gentle and fragile. If he wanted to give her a future where those things never happened again, he had to become stronger.
That was the only way to protect this small world of hers.
Fengling watched him leave. She lifted her hand as if to stop him, but when she saw his expression, she let it fall.
She knew the three were already in the hospital. Luo Yuan didn't. If she asked him to stay, he wouldn't learn the truth until later. That would make it easier to hide things.
But if she did that, then he wouldn't grow into the hero he needed to become.
She sat quietly, listening to his footsteps fade into the hallway.
The room stayed warm and bright, but she felt a chill.
Her right hand covered her chest. There was something soft between her skin and her heart—different from before.
She could feel loneliness there… and hope for the future.
She didn't know why, but even though she'd lived through something similar in her past life, it never felt this hollow. Back then, when he left, she just kept playing her game.
But now, his absence left the room feeling empty.
She was no longer the girl who came to this new city full of hope and dreams. She had changed.
She steadied her thoughts. His image filled her mind—the one who helped her face her fears, the one who fought beside her, the one who gave her a reason to keep living, and the one who had just spent a peaceful evening by her side.
So much had changed.
The fierce and lonely monster had been marked—deeply—and not even time could erase it.
This afternoon wasn't special because it was peaceful. It was special because he was here.
"Luo Yuan is the best."
She whispered a line from a novel, then tried to take it back, thinking it sounded unlucky. After a while, she snapped out of it.
"But if we want to survive the end of the world, I'd better stock up."
She opened a shopping site and began preparing for the invasion—the first wave of infected was coming soon.