My Friends, I’m Coming to See You

At the bus stop, Lin Fan stood quietly, waiting for Route 666. Compared to those around him, he appeared somewhat out of place—silent, detached, his attention turned inward, indifferent to the world's bustle.

The bus rolled to a slow halt.

Beep!

Student ID scanned.

He moved to the back and took a seat by the window. Gazing out at the passing scenery, he reached into his pocket and retrieved a smartphone.

The screen lit up faintly. A password prompt appeared.

He stared for a moment, then tapped in the digits.

8858.

Opening his messaging app, he scrolled to the class group chat. Once lively, it had gone dead right after the first period.

Chen Yang: Classmates, are you all alright?

This strange world he'd come to had given him an even stranger mission—

Ensure that no one in school dares to bully you.

He found the requirement odd.

Why would anyone want to bully me? he wondered. I mind my own business. I don't cause trouble. It doesn't make sense.

Shortly after his message, replies began to trickle in:

Xu Xiaodong: "..."

Jiang Ming: "..."

Zhang Hao: "..."

Lin Fan stared at the screen, confused by their responses.

Six dots.

What did they mean?

After pondering, he ventured a few interpretations—

Maybe it meant don't be so formal.

Or perhaps…

They were deeply moved.

Chen Yang: Dear classmates, your studies must be exhausting. Collapsing from fatigue and ending up in the hospital… As your classmate, I plan to visit you this afternoon.

Xu Xiaodong: "???"

Zhang Hao: "???"

Yang Zitian: "???"

Lin Fan stared at the flurry of punctuation with a thoughtful frown.

Their responses… baffled him.

Still, he concluded it was likely appreciation, masked in modern expression.

"Next stop: Oriental Plaza."

Lin Fan stood and exited the bus, entering his residential complex.

As he unlocked the front door, the scent of simmering food drifted into the hallway.

From the kitchen came a familiar voice:

"Yangyang, you're home! Wash your hands first, dinner will be ready soon!"

It was always just the two of them—he and his mother.

He had never really seen the man of the house. It was always the woman who filled the silence, who carried the weight.

Soon, dinner was served.

"Yangyang, today I made your favorite—braised chicken wings. Your dad's always wanted them, but I saved this for you," she said, placing more food into his bowl.

"I already spoke to your father. He'll try to come by school this afternoon."

"You must understand—he works so hard. Leaves early, returns late. Everything he does is for this family. So you must work hard, too."

Lin Fan lowered his head and quietly ate.

The food was good. Far better than what they served at Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital.

His palate had long grown accustomed to these flavors.

It was like smoking—there were many kinds of cigarettes, but you always returned to the one you knew best.

Not because it was superior.

But because it was familiar.

"I plan to visit my classmates in the hospital this afternoon," Lin Fan said.

His mother beamed. "That's wonderful! Our Yangyang is so thoughtful. It's good to get along with classmates. If your father knew, he'd be so proud of you."

After lunch, Lin Fan retreated to his room, sitting by the window, gazing at the quiet scenery below.

Gradually, his gaze shifted—to the balcony next door.

The woman who shared this body's blood leaned against the railing, smoking a slender cigarette, eyes vacant as they stared into the distance.

He searched this body's memories.

There weren't many images of the man of the house.

Rare appearances. Almost none at all.

The "Skydominance Secondary Delinquents" Group Chat

Only a dozen members.

They were known troublemakers—proud of cheating, boasting of zero scores, and bullying weaker classmates.

"Anyone know Chen Yang from Class 3, Grade 12?"

"Yeah, the sissy."

"He beat up Tang Jie at lunch today. I heard from my buddy that Chen Yang punched the wall in the alley by the school—left a crater! Tang Jie almost pissed himself."

"No way. For real?"

"@TangJie Bro, say something!"

"@TangJie Is that true?"

"That guy's tough. Don't mess with him."

"Sounds like crap to me. If he was that badass, we wouldn't have bullied him so easily before."

"Probably made up."

Suddenly—

A member sent a photo.

(image).jpg

"Is this… the wall?"

"???"

"..."

"Holy shit…"

The chat fell eerily silent.

As if the whole group had been frozen.

"I live near the school. Went to check just now. The wall's really caved in. There's a fist mark. Blood, too. If that punch had landed on someone, we'd be dead."

Silence spread like frost.

These kids reigned as bullies within school.

But at home, they knew the sting of belts and fists.

They picked on average students.

But against someone like that?

They knew better.

Afternoon.

Lin Fan left home with money his mother had given him.

He wandered into a store, pondering what to buy.

He looked at the 200 yuan in his hand.

It felt like a fortune.

But there were so many classmates… What would be the right thing to get?

The shopkeeper, a friendly middle-aged woman, noticed his hesitation.

"Looking for something, young man? Is it a gift?"

"Yes," Lin Fan nodded.

She smiled. "Then you can't go wrong with two boxes of milk. That's a pretty common gift."

He glanced again at the bills in his hand.

Would milk be enough for everyone?

"I'll take two boxes of milk—fifty each. And a hundred yuan worth of sausages."

He placed the money on the counter.

The shopkeeper studied him.

She had never met a customer like this before.

But a customer was a customer.

As long as you paid—

Even if you asked for hot, steaming shit on a plate, she'd probably rush to the toilet for you.

Lin Fan left, cradling two boxes of milk and a hundred sausages in his arms.

The shopkeeper trailed him to the door, watching his figure disappear.

What a strange student, she thought.

There was something… off.

Not in a bad way, necessarily.

Just… off.

At the hospital.

Lin Fan didn't know which room his classmates were in.

He stood outside the inpatient building, lost in thought.

Then, arms full of gifts, he began climbing—

One floor at a time.

Eventually…

He reached the eighteenth.

There, at last—he found them.

(End of Chapter)