The lingering sounds of gentle teasing filled the air. Yun Li dreaded situations like this. She hastily raised her eyes and, catching his gaze, instinctively touched the corresponding spot on her ear.
Suddenly, she understood but wasn’t entirely certain. From his look, Yun Li sensed he harbored no ulterior motives.
She tilted her body slightly, tentatively leaning her other side towards him. The man simultaneously moved closer, stopping about three centimeters from her ear. His breath hovered near, barely perceptible as he whispered, “When Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara practices the profound Prajna Paramita, he illuminates the Five Skandhas and sees they are all empty, thus overcoming all ills and suffering.”
“…”
Perhaps to ensure she heard clearly, he spoke at an unhurried pace.
However, his good intentions were in vain.
Yun Li didn’t understand a word.
To put it more bluntly, Yun Li felt the current situation was no different from not hearing at all.
What on earth was this?!
Was it a Buddhist sutra?
Yun Li stood dumbfounded.
Zhibuliao, waiting nearby to pass on the message, couldn’t hold back a laugh. “What’s with that expression?”
She didn’t answer, not daring to delay any longer. Before her memory faded, Yun Li half-guessed, half-recited, cobbling together a sentence that barely made sense.
Seeing Zhibuliao’s equally confused expression, she felt somewhat relieved.
At least she probably hadn’t held things up.
As the tension subsided, Yun Li finally had the presence of mind to watch others play the game. She noticed some people were also listening with their right ear. This direction allowed them to face away from the crowd while listening to others speak.
Yun Li was overly conscious of using her right ear, feeling it seemed deliberate. But for those unconcerned with such matters, they wouldn’t pay attention to which ear others used to listen.
Just as she wouldn’t notice which foot others stepped with first when walking.
Considering this, Yun Li stole a glance at the man.
So when they played the virtual skydiving project earlier, had he already noticed her left ear couldn’t hear?
But at the time, he had spared her feelings by not pointing it out directly.
The man hadn’t noticed her gaze. He was looking down, seemingly disinterested, playing a game on his phone to pass the time.
It was a single-player game called 2048.
He had already merged numbers up to 1024.
By this time, the message had reached the end of the line.
The last person was He Jiameng. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she confidently announced the answer: “Guanyin Bodhisattva wants to eat jackfruit.”
“…”
The private room fell silent for a moment before erupting in laughter.
He Jiameng scratched her head. “What’s wrong? Isn’t that it?”
“Of course not, Little He, what’s wrong with you? How could you turn such a sacred sentence into this?” Fei Shui chuckled. “But I’m quite curious, how did it get passed on so quickly at the beginning? It made me think the other side had given a short sentence. I was confused when I heard it.”
Xu Qingsong laughed softly, both embarrassed and frank: “Sorry, I really couldn’t remember. I just passed on ‘The first paragraph of the Heart Sutra, recite if you can.'”
The next few people after him had also been holding back laughter for a while: “Same here.”
The chain ended with the man.
Having confirmed the target, the topic didn’t linger. Everyone assumed he was simply knowledgeable, and memorizing the first paragraph of the short Heart Sutra wasn’t particularly remarkable. Soon after, the opposite table also finished their message relay, winning by a single word.
After a few playful remarks, people began packing up to leave.
Yun Li hesitated repeatedly before mustering the courage to speak to the man: “Um…”
He paused and looked up.
His eyelashes were long and fine, his eye sockets deep-set. With thin double eyelids and naturally upturned outer corners, his eyes outlined a cold and sharp profile. When devoid of emotion, they carried an intimidating aura that was difficult to fathom.
“Just now when you asked me to lean closer…” Yun Li regretted speaking but felt compelled to continue, “Did you know…”
— Did you know I can’t hear with my left ear?
Realizing that continuing would be tantamount to giving away the answer, she stopped abruptly, looking at him expectantly.
The man didn’t respond.
Yun Li stammered, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
He gazed at her calmly and said, “You didn’t finish your sentence.”
“…”
Yun Li rephrased her question: “I mean, why did you ask me to lean closer earlier?”
Their eyes met.
Amidst the bustling crowd, there was a moment of stillness. Just as Yun Li thought he was about to reveal the truth, the man casually put his phone back in his pocket and said, “Rules. No third person should overhear.”
There happened to be a KTV nearby.
Xu Qingsong seemed to be a VIP here. Without needing to book in advance, they were immediately led by staff to a party room. The space was large, divided into upper and lower levels by three steps, easily accommodating more than ten people.
Drinks, snacks, and fruit platters were brought in successively.
Several outgoing individuals had already grabbed microphones and started belting out songs, with the song selection screen constantly occupied. The rest split into groups, some playing cards, others engaging in a dice game.
Some, like Yun Li, sat to the side chatting and listening to music.
At this table sat seven or eight people, several of whom Yun Li couldn’t name. Xu Qingsong occupied the central position, smiling as he clinked glasses with others. The man who had arrived with him earlier was nowhere to be seen.
She lowered her eyes to her phone, and then casually scanned the surroundings.
Just then, a woman jokingly asked, “Mr. Xu, where’s that handsome guy you brought earlier? Shouldn’t he be here paying up after losing?”
Yun Li’s attention was drawn to the conversation.
Xu Qingsong replied with resignation, “He’s not feeling well. Let’s cut him some slack.”
The woman, named Du Gefei, was a live streamer on a certain platform. According to He Jiameng, she had tried to get the WeChat contacts of almost every man present today. She rested her chin on her hand and probed further, “Is his girlfriend checking up on him?”
Xu Qingsong remained noncommittal.
Du Gefei continued, “I didn’t even get a chance to ask for his WeChat.”
Seemingly oblivious to her implied meaning, Xu Qingsong sighed, “That’s a shame.”
“…”
Du Gefei was visibly taken aback.
Someone at the table stifled a laugh.
Yun Li pressed her lips together, also feeling slightly amused. But afterward, her mood inexplicably sank.
This emotion came from nowhere, like a sun-scorched mimosa, drooping and lifeless.
It also felt like a coin meant for a wishing well falling short of its mark.
After a while, He Jiameng sidled up to her and whispered, “Teacher Xian Yun, do you need to use the restroom? I’d rather not use the one in the private room.”
Yun Li snapped back to reality, “A little. I’ll go with you.”
Leaving the private room, they entered a dimly lit corridor where the lights seemed covered by fabric. A few steps away was a public restroom, and upon entering, the metaphorical fabric was lifted.
After finishing, Yun Li came out to wash her hands.
He Jiameng, already outside, suddenly asked, “Why is your ear so red?”
Hearing this, Yun Li looked in the mirror.
He Jiameng examined it and added, “And it’s only the right one.”
“…” Yun Li noticed it for the first time, “I don’t know.”
“Could it be,” He Jiameng giggled, “that handsome guy was too close when whispering to you earlier?”
Yun Li quickly denied it, “No, that’s not it.”
He Jiameng didn’t believe her and continued, “That guy seems like an iceberg. You see how others can barely get a word in when talking to him, yet who knew he’d actively flirt?”
Unable to counter, Yun Li changed the subject, “Don’t you know him?”
“I don’t. Maybe because I’ve been at headquarters and haven’t come here much,” He Jiameng said. “I just heard from a colleague that they saw him at the store this morning too.”
“Oh?”
“He’s a friend of the boss and has been helping out for the past few days. He’ll be working at EAW from now on,” He Jiameng said excitedly. “I’m so lucky. When I saw him take off his mask earlier, even with my boss sitting next to me, I felt like I was in heaven for a moment.”
“…”
“But to be honest, I’m a bit worried.”
“About what?”
“Don’t you think this handsome guy seems hard to get along with? These ‘connection hires’ usually don’t work hard,” He Jiameng added. “Plus, he’s quite gloomy and a bit scary.”
Yun Li found herself defending him, “Didn’t Mr. Xu say he wasn’t feeling well? Maybe he just doesn’t feel like talking.”
He Jiameng: “Oh right, I forgot about that.”
…
Most people had booked their flights for the next day, so this second gathering didn’t last too long.
Back at the hotel, Yun Li had just finished her shower a little after midnight. She tiredly lay down on the bed, contentedly hugging the blanket, wanting nothing more than to sleep until the world ended.
Social interactions were indeed exhausting.
She wondered how she had ended up going to the KTV in the first place.
After a while, Yun Li opened her eyes, staring at the stark white ceiling, and suddenly raised her hand to touch her right ear.
It wasn’t hot anymore.
The next morning, Yun Li told He Jiameng that she wouldn’t be returning to Nanwu in the short term, so there was no need to book a flight ticket for her.
He Jiameng understood and extended her hotel stay for another week.
Yun Li had nothing planned for the day. She got up lazily and ordered takeout. After some thought, she messaged Deng Chuqi, asking when she’d be free to have a meal together.
A second later, Deng Chuqi called her: “I’m eating now, too lazy to type so I called directly. When are you heading back to Xifu?”
“I probably won’t go back.”
“Huh? Why?” Deng Chuqi was confused. “Aren’t you supposed to report at the end of the month?”
The phrase ‘running away from home’ was indeed embarrassing, so Yun Li was reluctant to say it out loud: “There’s nothing much to do if I go back anyway, might as well come here early to familiarize myself with the environment.”
“Oh, okay. Do you want to come live with me then?” Deng Chuqi offered. “My roommate is nice, though my room is a bit small.”
Yun Li: “No need, my hotel room is paid for another week. Besides, I’m planning to rent an apartment first. I’ve been looking at rental websites these past couple of days and found a place that seems quite nice. Could you accompany me to check it out?”
Deng Chuqi: “Sure! How about this weekend? I’m free then.”
Yun Li smiled: “Sounds good.”
Deng Chuqi asked further: “But aren’t you going to live in the dorms?”
Yun Li: “I will, but I occasionally need to film videos, so I need a place for that. Otherwise, it might disturb my roommates.”
They chatted for a while longer before hanging up. Yun Li ate her takeout while watching an old TV series.
She watched until late afternoon. Just as the sun was setting, Yun Li received a message from He Jiameng saying she had sent the videos of yesterday’s trial projects to her email.
Yun Li replied with a simple “Okay.”
If she was going to rent an apartment, the coming days would likely be busy.
Yun Li decided to edit the footage first. She removed the SD card from her camera and connected it to her computer. As she skimmed through the clips she had filmed earlier, she paused at the VR bungee jumping segment.
After that project ended, Yun Li left her camera on the tripod and walked away, only remembering it halfway through. This video clip captured a scene after she left—
Du Gefei approached him to chat: “I’d like to try this game too. How do you play it?”
The man, this time not even bothering with polite engagement, stared at the VR headset in his hand and replied impassively, “Ask the staff.”
Then Yun Li returned to retrieve her camera, and Du Gefei left without further comment.
“…”
This indeed matched what He Jiameng had said about connection hires typically not working diligently.
For reasons unknown to herself, Yun Li scrolled back to watch the part where the man was helping her with the safety harness. Although she knew he was probably just impatient, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being treated differently.
Then, trying to appear calm and unconcerned, she opened her email and downloaded the compressed file He Jiameng had sent.
After waiting for a while, she unzipped and opened it.
These clips were even labeled with project names, making it easy for her to match them with the corresponding videos. Glancing at the thumbnail of one video, Yun Li paused.
Whether due to He Jiameng’s mistake or not, this wasn’t a clip of any project she had played.
Instead, it was the face of the man she had just been intently watching.
Without a mask.
Yun Li licked her lips and clicked play.
He seemed to have accidentally hit the record button and wasn’t looking at the camera. He was holding a remote control, appearing to be adjusting something or just idly playing with it.
The view oscillated wildly.
One moment it soared several meters high, close to the ceiling, clearly showing the surrounding game projects; the next, it plummeted to the floor, revealing only the patterns on the ground.
Yun Li suddenly realized.
This seemed to be the drone she had seen at the club today.
At the end of the video, someone appeared to call out to him. The man suddenly stopped moving. A few seconds later, the view descended from mid-air back to the ground. The clip ended there.
Because of this action, the man’s appearance became increasingly familiar, the impression in her mind growing clearer.
Recalling a fleeting point, Yun Li had a sudden epiphany. She quickly opened the E-station website and found a video she had bookmarked long ago.
This was originally posted in a discussion thread on E-station before being reposted to the video section.
It was from a previous National College Student Robotics Competition.
The video had been edited to focus on one particular person.
A handsome, tall young man wore a black team uniform with a moon-shaped badge on the sleeve. The back of his uniform bore the emblem of Xifu University of Technology and the team name: Unique.
He held a remote control, intently operating the robot before him.
When victory was announced, those around him jumped up cheering.
The young man was exceptionally good-looking but didn’t smile easily, standing composed to the side. His demeanor was gentle and clear, unlike his current somber appearance. Then, one of his teammates hugged him forcefully. He frowned and struggled for a moment before finally breaking into an uncontrolled smile.
It was an age of youthful passion, where emotions didn’t need to be concealed.
This young man overlapped with the man in the recent video.
It was the same person.
Yet not quite the same person.
This video had gained some popularity online at the time. Later, it was discovered that the young man had skipped grades to enter university and was only fifteen when participating in the competition.
A life that seemed to be playing in cheat mode.
At the time, there were various comments below the video. The most popular one, inspired by the moon badge the young man wore, extended into a poetic remark—”So the moon also exists in the mortal world.”
When Yun Li first saw this video, she was also fifteen, just starting her first year of high school.
At that time, her grades were average, but she had unexpectedly just made it into the best high school in Xifu. Introverted and taciturn, hardworking but limited in ability, she felt stifled by the excellence of her classmates.
She too longed to possess innate talent and be extraordinary.
The young man had entered her life at this moment.
He became the object of her brief admiration and aspiration in her youth.
Years later, though the internet buzz had faded like a fleeting flower, traces remained.
Typing this information into the search bar, Yun Li could still find the interview the young man had given after his college entrance exam results were released. Next to it was a casually taken photograph.
The young man looked at the camera, his features still youthful. He possessed an air of vigor that seemed undefeatable by the mundane world.
Below is a caption—
Nanwu City’s 2008 Science Stream College Entrance Exam Top Scorer, Fu Shize.