The Mysterious Connection and Heartbreak

You didn't come online yesterday.

Yes, I took a rest at home yesterday... However, I couldn't find you at home either. Didn't you come online either?

Are you not feeling well?

I'm okay... I just overslept.

Couldn't sleep again?

...Yes... I cried because I missed him so much. I couldn't sleep the whole night.

He should know that he is safe.

But, what about that explosion in the city last time...

Wasn't his name not on the death list?

But he said he would come back immediately...

Is... that so...

"I tell you, if I want to find you, coming here is definitely the right choice." Bihua teased, ordered a drink, and sat outside waiting for him to come out.

"Eh? Why are you here?" Mo looked at her in surprise. "How long have you been here? Why didn't you come in and call me?"

"I couldn't. The boss wouldn't let me in." Bihua pointed at the boss. The boss was wiping a glass. When he saw the two of them, he showed a friendly smile.

"...Ah, right. I did ask him not to let other guests come in and disturb me..."

"Hey... Little Mo, tell me honestly, what are you up to in there?" Bihua nudged his shoulder.

"What else could it be? Just surfing the Internet."

"You're really acting like you've become a kid again." Bihua widened her eyes. "You're only getting addicted to the games that little kids play now?"

"Ha... Stop making fun of me..." Mo smiled softly, ordered a drink from the boss, sat beside Bihua, and planned to continue chatting.

"...Is that kid a boy or a girl? How old is he? Where does he work? Tell him to bring out his birth date so I can do a compatibility check." Bihua stretched out her hand.

"You're thinking way too much." Mo smiled softly. "He didn't say, but I guess he's a college student... And, he's a boy."

Have you met him?

Not yet.

Did he say so?

Not at all.

Then why do you guess like this?

From the way he replied." Mo said mysteriously. "And, most likely, he studies the same kind of things as we do."

Oh? Then why don't you introduce him to me?

Ha... He's really busy... I've asked him out several times, but he didn't agree.

Maybe he's very ugly?

I'm a guy too. Do I care?

...What you said isn't convincing. Chen is really good - looking." As soon as she said this, Bihua, realizing she had said the wrong thing, quietly lowered her head to take a sip of her drink to cover it up.

Yes... Ha... Now that I think about it, among the people I've met, there's no one more good - looking than him." Mo said softly, with a hint of sweetness.

...Come on. Haven't you heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

He has changed... Bihua secretly looked at Mo with a slightly surprised look. He has become... able to talk about Chen with them without any hesitation...

When Mo found a light - blue letter among a stack of letters, he thought he was dreaming.

The sender was signed as Chen.

He read it over and over again. There were more than a dozen pages, full of hand - written letters. Full of yearning and love. Mo read it again and again. The first time, he read it with tears. The second time, he read it in bed. Each time he read it, the smile on his face deepened until the letter paper was almost blurred by his tears and sweat. Only then did Mo reluctantly decide to turn off the light and go to sleep.

He still couldn't sleep. However, different from before, it was an excited mood. He tossed and turned several times. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. He turned on the computer and connected to the Internet. Chen'ai wasn't there. Of course, what time was it already.

But he always felt that he had to share this joy with someone, otherwise he would be so happy that he would explode.

Should I call Bihua? No... She won't understand... Although Bihua is a nice person, I can't talk to her about Chen.

Then, should I call Brother Ye? No... He... He might not be happy about this news.

Only now did he realize how few friends he had.

...That's right, that store... The whole store was full of his new friends.

Almost crazily, at three o'clock in the morning, Mo, with the letter in his arms, took a car to the store.

The store was open.

"Are you still not resting so late?" Mo sat on the bar with great surprise.

"Yes. With customers still here, how dare I close the door?" The boss smiled at him.

There were still two or three customers in the store, chatting about the Olympics from the year before last.

"What would you like to drink? Hot cocoa?" The boss said.

Yes.

"Why are you here so early today?" The boss handed over a mug and smiled gently.

"Today, I had a wonderful thing happen to me." Mo said happily. "My lover wrote me a letter."

That's great. Your relationship must be very good, right? The boss smiled kindly.

Yes! I love him so much... Ah, I was so worried before, but now, I feel like I've come back to life." Mo took a sip of hot cocoa and said contentedly.

"Being happy is one thing, but you can't neglect your health. Look, it's so late and you haven't slept yet. Don't tell me it's because you're too excited?"

Yes... Exactly... But now I'm really a bit sleepy..." Mo smiled softly.

"Don't do this again. You can sleep in the private room inside." The boss smiled.

Thank you.

Guess what happened?

What?

The first good thing is that the boss said I can have this private room all to myself today.

Oh? That's really a good thing.

The second good thing is that as soon as I woke up and went online, I met you.

Ha, that's also a good thing. But, let me say this first. I have to go to class later. I can't stay for too long.

Yes, I know. It doesn't matter. Actually, the third good thing is the best.

Oh?

I received a letter from him.

Really? That's really great.

Yes! I'm so happy... I was so excited last night that I almost couldn't sleep. I even came to this store to chat with people and didn't go to sleep until almost dawn.

Don't you have work today?

Yes. But I took a leave.

You're so lazy. How can you take a leave because of such a thing?

Come on, my mind is full of him now. I can't teach the class either.

Hello? Are you still there?

Yes, I'm still here. I just went downstairs to get some breakfast to eat.

Are you about to go out? Am I disturbing you?

No, no. Please continue. I'll tell you when it's time.

Yes, then can I talk to you about Chen's letter?

You're welcome.

If you have to leave halfway, it's okay. I'll write you a letter about the rest.

Ha, okay. Just go ahead.

"What are you doing?" A colleague passed by Bihua and found that she was surfing the Internet.

"Looking for someone."

"Who?"

"A speck of dust."

"What's this?" Mo looked at a large stack of reports on his desk and asked blankly.

"Your dust." Bihua said, with a hint of anger. Ye Rufeng stood beside Bihua, just quietly looking at Mo.

"What happened to him?"

"I went to investigate him."

Wh... What! You... Why did you... Mo asked in astonishment.

"You're too addicted to him. You even took three consecutive days off to chat with him!"

No... It's not like that. You misunderstand. I was just chatting with him about something.

What thing? Tell me.

This... It's not something related to you guys." Mo said somewhat reluctantly.

"Your business is our business! Look, now you don't even care about us because of a ghost - like figure? You'd rather talk to someone you've never met face - to - face on the screen than talk to us?"

...Bihua, what on earth are you angry about?" Mo was also annoyed.

"Angry with you! You've been deceived. Do you know that!"

"Deceived? Deceived about what! I haven't even met him in person!"

"This matter is definitely not simple, Mo. When we talk, you should listen carefully and calmly. After we finish, you can give your opinion." Ye Rufeng said.

Mo had never quarreled so fiercely with anyone before, especially with Bihua.

He was so angry that he ran out without even asking for leave from school.

What did they say? They actually said... Yes, there really is such a person as Chen'ai. And when they followed the account information, they found this person. This person also said he knew Mo.

He is indeed a college student. His family background, household registration information, and neighbor testimony have no flaws at all. Except for one thing. During the three days Mo took leave, Bihua stayed online waiting, but didn't see Mo or Chen'ai.

It's all nonsense... complete nonsense!

"That store is fishy! Mo! Don't go there anymore!" Bihua shouted from behind.

What made him even more angry was that Bihua and the others actually said that three months ago, this store didn't exist.

So what if it's newly opened?

However, those regular customers in the store that he was familiar with were people the nearby residents had never seen before. Some people knew about them, but they had only moved here in the past two or three months.

Thirty people moving here from another city at the same time to drink coffee. It's like seeing a ghost! Bihua shouted.

All of this is just a coincidence... Mo thought.

Or, actually, is this really just a mirage?

Impossible... After chatting with him for three months, I can more or less guess what kind of person he is. But why on earth won't he show up?

At six - thirty, he went to Bihua's house and went online, but didn't see Chen'ai.

By seven o'clock, Ye Rufeng drove the two of them to Chen'ai's house. Chen'ai wasn't at home. He had gone on a trip and no one knew when he would be back.

At eight o'clock, they returned to that store. The store wasn't open.

At nine o'clock, they returned to Chen'ai's house. Chen'ai's house had been emptied. The neighbors who had once testified for Chen'ai denied ever seeing the three of them. After they made a big scene, the police were called and they were taken away.

From then on, Chen'ai in the real world never appeared again. The store door never opened again, and Chen'ai in the online world disappeared along with that store.

When Mo could stare at the screen in school for three hours, Bihua and the other person just comforted themselves that this was just a temporary phenomenon.

Then, Mo started taking leave. Although he let Bihua in, Mo just stayed at home and read the letters that he said were written by Chen.

Mo's words began to become abnormal. He started murmuring that Chen'ai was Chen, and also talked about how he lived during those days when he was missing before, which made the two of them feel both ashamed and anxious.

"Mo! Can you wake up? Chen is impossible to come back!" One day, shaking Mo's shoulder, Bihua shouted.

"I'm not crazy. It's the country that has hidden my Chen. It's the country that won't let him come back." Mo looked at Bihua with a sharp look that made Bihua's heart tremble.

"Mo..."

"I was still wondering why they didn't take any action even though I had leaked so much... It seems that because you all regard me as a madman."

"No... Mo, you're not crazy. You've just missed Chen for too long." Bihua softened her voice and sat beside Mo.

"You've never wanted to believe what I said." Mo said faintly.

"Of course we will believe you. We've known each other for several years... But, why don't you go to sleep first? After you wake up, we can talk slowly." Bihua said, very carefully. Because, as she had seen with her own eyes, Mo hadn't slept for two nights.

"This has nothing to do with whether I sleep or not... Okay, you go out first. I want to sleep." Mo said, and then lay down on the sofa.

"Mo?"

"Bihua, you go out."

Everyone in the world regarded him as crazy, but only he himself knew that he was the only one in this world who knew the truth.

All things are related, Chen'ai and Chen, that store...

But why...

To know the truth, the only way is to ask Chen... He really wants to see him too...

Walking somewhat unsteadily to the study, he took a utility knife from the drawer and deeply cut his wrist.

It was about five centimeters long, not long, but a very deep cut. In the same position as Chen, and presumably with the same pain.

If they were really still by his side, they would naturally go to save him. And if they were still by his side, it naturally meant that Chen was still alive.

If they didn't save him, it just meant that they no longer cared about him. It also meant that Chen was no longer alive. Then, it didn't matter if he died.

Blood gushed out at a terrifying speed.

"Mo... Mo?" In the hospital, Bihua sat beside Mo and gently called him.

However, Mo didn't respond to her. He just remained silent, like a puppet.

"Mo?"