The Ex, the Snow, and the Bureau Chief
"Well, guess the power's out. Again."
Ethan mumbled under his breath as he tapped the side of his phone. The screen still glowed dimly in his hand, the network icon flickering but still active.
His class group chat buzzed nonstop. Everyone was trying to figure out what was happening. The outage was new, so most people still had some battery left. A message popped up in the thread:
"News says power shortages are spreading. Blackouts are scheduled now. Electricity will return in two windows: 12:00–12:30 PM and 6:00–6:30 PM for basic charging and boiling water."
Ethan exhaled.
As long as the internet was up, society was barely holding on to normalcy. If that went down too, humanity would slip back into the Stone Age within hours.
He kept scrolling through online threads, his fingers mindlessly swiping, when a new notification pinged.
[Friend Request Received]
His heart nearly stopped. The phone almost slipped from his fingers.
He recognized that profile picture. He had stared at it for two years, waiting for a message that never came. A face that haunted his sleepless nights, both his dream and his downfall.
Su Qianran.
The girl who rejected his confession two weeks ago.
The reason his dormmates cruelly nicknamed him Stargazer Boy.
The girl he gave everything to, only to end up heartbroken and embarrassed.
Back then, his roommates had mocked him: "Bro, you're just a simp."
He didn't think so. He thought it was love.
But now?
Now he knew.
They were right.
He had faced death, seen order collapse, and grown in ways he never expected.
He wasn't the same foolish, infatuated guy anymore.
His finger hovered over the screen, ready to hit Delete on her friend request. But…
He tapped Accept.
"Damn it!"
He slapped himself across the face.
Say no with your mouth, say yes with your finger. Real smooth, idiot.
Her message came in instantly.
Su Qianran: Ethan, are you still on campus?
Ethan: Yeah. What's up?
Su Qianran: Lu Liuming told me you stocked up on a lot of supplies… Would it be possible to borrow some food from you? We'll pay, of course. Or if not money, we could take you out for dinner after the snowstorm ends…
Ethan stared at the message.
Two years of knowing each other.
And this was the longest text she had ever sent him.
Back then, he would have gladly packed up his rations and carried them to the girls' dorm. Rain, snow, sleet—it wouldn't have mattered.
But now?
Heh.
She mentioned Lu Liuming, his roommate.
He probably told her about the stockpile. Not to betray him, but likely trying to play matchmaker. Lu had watched Ethan pine for her for two years. Maybe he thought this was a final shot at a romance that never happened.
Ethan thought for a moment, then typed:
Ethan: Sorry, I don't have enough to share. Try someone else.
There was no hatred in his heart.
But no kindness left either.
He had given everything—his time, his feelings—for someone who didn't even remember his birthday.
She never hurt him.
But she never cared either.
And now, in a disaster, why should he be her safety net?
This "favor" wouldn't stop with one request. He knew that.
On the other side, Qianran must not have expected such a blunt rejection.
It took a long pause before she replied:
Su Qianran: Alright. Sorry for bothering you.
Ethan: No problem.
And just like that, silence returned.
She didn't ask why he unfriended her in the first place.
She didn't need to.
To her, Ethan had always been a nobody. An optional presence.
Even if she heard he had a stunning new girlfriend, a brilliant and beautiful woman who lived with him now… Qianran wouldn't care.
Why would she?
When someone means nothing to you, their happiness doesn't touch you.
Ethan understood this.
And yet, it still made him angry.
"Goddamn it…" he mumbled, slamming his phone facedown.
Two years of self-delusion. Two years of one-sided dreams.
What a joke.
BOOM!
A loud crash shook the apartment.
A blast of cold air rushed into the room like a ghost's breath.
Ethan jumped, shivering as the cold wrapped around him like icy chains.
"What the hell was that?!"
From one of the rooms, Lin Yiwan burst out, panic on her face. She ran toward the door—what was left of it.
Her expression changed instantly when she saw the figure standing in the shattered doorway.
"Director, you're here?!"
Ethan looked up just in time to see a stunning woman step inside, snowflakes dusting her hair, her lashes frosted like delicate crystal.
She shook the snow from her coat with easy grace. Her face was flawless, icy, and intimidating.
Like a goddess carved from ice.
Her figure was tall and captivating, curves hidden beneath layers of winter gear. If not for the five-centimeter heeled boots, she'd look like she walked straight out of a high-budget post-apocalyptic drama.
Murong Xiner.
Director of the Apocalypse Online Management Bureau.
And Ethan's… complicated friend.
Less than 48 hours ago, they had spoken over the phone. Now she was here, having flown back from Europe—in the middle of this brutal storm.
If someone wrote this in a novel, no one would believe it.
It sounded too much like a twisted fairytale.
Her earlobes were flushed red from the cold, but she didn't flinch.
She looked completely unfazed.
Ethan blinked.
"Director Murong… did you just break the door?"
"I'll fix it!" Lin Yiwan said quickly, trying to smooth things over.
Murong likely had her reasons.
Still, Ethan glanced at Yiwan with an exhausted expression.
She always made excuses for Murong.
Murong didn't explain. She marched deeper into the apartment and scanned the layout.
"Ethan. Which one's your room?"
He pointed silently toward the furthest room.
Without another word, Murong grabbed him by the arm.
"You and I need to talk. In private. Yiwan, get that door fixed."
And just like that, she pulled him toward the bedroom.
If someone saw this out of context, they'd assume something else entirely.
"Hey—wait, I thought you hated men—" Ethan protested, confused.
"Shut up."
SLAM!
The door shut behind them like the drop of a guillotine.
Yiwan stood frozen outside, eyes wide.
What… what just happened?
Why did Director Murong suddenly feel like a completely different person?