This year’s snow is heavier than in previous years, and a thick layer of snow has piled up in front of the old train station on Guangyuan Road, which is about to be demolished.
It is eleven o’clock at midnight.
Shen Lin handed over his ticket, and the ticket collector glanced at the ticket, then looked up at him and asked, “How old are you?”
Shen Lin didnโt sleep well last night, and he said in a slightly hoarse voice, “Nineteen.”
“Whereโs your ID card?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out an ID, and from underneath his overly wide sleeve, he extended a delicate hand, pushing the ID through the window.
He fished an ID out of his pocket, and under the excessively wide cuffs, a delicate, smooth hand emerged, pushing the ID through the window of the glass partition.
The ticket inspector scanned the ID, adjusted his glasses, and after verifying the information on the computer, confirmed everything was correct before looking up at Shen Lin again. “You look quite young.”
In the deep night, the streetlights were dim, but fortunately, a thick layer of snow covered the ground, reflecting just enough light for him to barely make out the figure of the young man standing outside the ticket booth. He had a clean and well-behaved appearance, with a pair of dark blue headphones hanging around his neck. His short hair was neatly trimmed, and his face was reddened by the cold wind. A layer of mist had formed in his jet-black eyes from the chill, and his face carried the innocent expression of someone who had not yet experienced much of the world.
Shen Lin smiled faintly and said obediently, “Everyone says that. Sometimes, when I go to an internet cafรฉ, even they check my ID.” He reached out to take the returned train ticket and ID, but when he couldnโt pull it from the inspectorโs hand, he frowned and, using a little more force, managed to take them back.
The man suddenly said, “Kid, itโs almost New Yearโs. You should head home early. Donโt be running around.”
Shen Linโs smile froze for a moment. He forced a smile1, but his eyes turned cold. With a sarcastic grin, he said, “Thank you, uncle. Donโt worry, Iโm an adult now. Iโm just going to visit relatives, not running away from home.”
Only then did the man show a relieved expression. “The world is chaotic2. Stay safe.”
“Hey, youโre really a warm-hearted person.”
The man smiled and said, “Go ahead.”
After taking a few steps, Shen Linโs tense body gradually relaxed. He exhaled deeply, thinking to himself that the person who made the fake ID hadnโt lied to him. This ID could indeed pass as real, helping him board the train.
He took out his phone, turned it on, and a wave of missed calls and unread messages flooded the screen. He casually swiped through a few:
“Xiao Lin, I know this decision is hard for you, and I shouldnโt have pressured you into deciding now, especially since youโre in the crucial period for the college entrance exam, but I love you. I hope you can give up the domestic exam and go abroad with me.”
“Shen Lin, Iโve already helped you contact a domestic university. Youโll study architecture, a combined bachelorโs and masterโs program. Your mentor is a former colleague of your fatherโs studio.”
“Time is tight. Make a decision quickly; otherwise, the paperwork will be difficult to arrange.”
“Xiao Lin, you need to make a decision quickly. Which one will you choose, mom or dad?”
“Why donโt you come home?”
“Baby, where are you?”
“Call me back! Now!”
…
This train, traveling from the capital city to Russia, would last for six days and six nights. No matter how capable these two “social elites” were, they never would have expected that a pampered young master like him would be on this train. Shen Lin smugly curled the corner of his lips. He planned to stay in the carriage as much as possible. After all, it was only six days, and as long as he could recharge a little, he wouldnโt starve to death.
Before long, he drifted off to sleep, exhausted.
In a semi-conscious state, he heard rustling sounds. Shen Lin slowly opened his eyes, his mind foggy for a moment, before suddenly realizing his situation. He snapped his eyes wide open and was met with a pair of pitch-black eyes.
The two of them stared at each other, both with some surprise in their gaze.
The man took a step back and sat back on the opposite bed, his expression calm as he looked at Shen Lin.
Shen Lin froze for a moment. After clearly seeing the manโs features, something clicked in his mind.
His eyes gradually widened. Some words rolled around on the tip of his tongue, but they were too hot to say, so he swallowed them back.
Shen Lin suddenly turned his head, shifting his gaze away from the man, his heart racing. This was bad. This personโwasnโt he the one who was chased on the platform and pressed to the ground?! Why is he in the same compartment as me? Who is he? A good guy? A bad guy? Why were the station staff chasing him? Could he expose my whereabouts? This whole trip is so long, what if he has bad intentions and wants to rob me?
Shen Lin calmly observed him without showing any signs.
The man was probably in his early twenties, tall and broad-shouldered, with handsome, cold features. He had just been pressed into the snow, and most of his shirt was wet, now sticking to his lean, muscular body in a semi-transparent way, which emphasized his beautiful muscle lines.
Nice build, huh. Shen Lin thought with a little envy.
Following the principle of “if you donโt mess with me, I wonโt mess with you,” Shen Lin carefully shrank into the corner, his nerves taut as he watched the manโs every movement.
He had been sitting by the bed since he got on the train, motionless like a statue. His posture was rigid, forming a straight line, and his face was cold and expressionless. Yet, he often gazed at Shen Lin with deep, penetrating eyes.
But as time passed, the increasingly painful stomach made Shen Lin break into a cold sweat, his body trembling as he gritted his teeth.
There was a rustling sound from across the room. Shen Lin opened his eyes sharply, and a warm hand covered his forehead, which was slick with cold sweat. A deep voice whispered in his ear, โYouโre sick?โ
Shen Lin felt a wave of helplessness rise in his chest, but he swallowed it down forcefully.
โIโm fine,โ Shen Lin gritted out through clenched teeth.
โYouโre trembling,โ the man said.
โDonโt say anything,โ Shen Lin snapped.
He propped himself up and reached for his bag to find medicine. His hand slipped, and the bag fell to the floor, spilling out a jumble of random items.
Suddenly, the back of his foot was struck by a thick book spine. Yan Xiu looked down and saw that it was a heavy mythology book, thick enough to hurt if it fell on someone. A gilded, hardcover bookmark was wedged between the pages, revealing a familiar corner.
He felt like he had seen this bookmark before.
Seeing that Shen Lin had little strength left, Yan Xiu bent down to help him pick it up. His gaze lingered on the corner of the bookmark, and after a brief hesitation, an inexplicable sense of familiarity led him to pull it out. It read:
[Invitation Letter]
We cordially invite investigator โShen Linโ to participate in this game. Please take the 11:30 PM train this Saturday to the game location. Failure to do so will result in the permanent closure of the game room.
Below were two lines of small, colorful silver text:
“What sleeps eternally is not the deceased. In the long and strange passage of time, even death has its end.”
“It is you who will bring about the end.”
- ็ฎ็ฌ่ไธ็ฌ (pรญ xiร o rรฒu bรน xiร o): This is a Chinese idiom meaning “to smile with the skin but not with the heart” or “to fake a smile.” It’s used to describe a forced or insincere smile โฉ๏ธ
- ไธ้ไนฑ (shรฌ dร o luร n): This phrase means “the world is chaotic” or “times are turbulent,” often used to describe the disorderliness or instability in society โฉ๏ธ
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