After AFK for five years, I returned to be number one in the entire server.

Shen Yi has been back in the school dormitory for some time now. During this time, she just goes to class on time, goes to the company for internship, and eats a simple meal at the cafeteria, just like a normal person.

Anyone who isn't blind can see the loneliness and absent-mindedness in her.

Often, she would sit at her desk in the dormitory, open a book, and just stare blankly into space.

Or perhaps she sits on the edge of her bed in the middle of the night, silently watching the moon outside, tears streaming down her face.

Her roommates tacitly refrained from asking her why she suddenly moved back, and they didn't mention Lin Ye's name in the dorm.

Watching Shen Yi grow thinner at a visible rate, becoming as frail as Lin Daiyu, Zhou Ran and Zhao Jiaxin exchanged worried glances several times in private.

If Shen Yi continues to suppress her feelings like this, she will eventually develop serious health problems.

On Friday evening, Zhao Jiaxin sat on the bed, looking up travel guides for the area around Ningchuan City on her phone, and spoke to Shen Yi, who was leaning back in her chair lost in thought.

"Shen Yi, tomorrow is Saturday. The weather forecast says it will be especially nice this weekend. Our dorm hasn't had a group activity in a long time. Zhou Ran and I discussed it and we're thinking of going hiking at Zongyun Mountain in the suburbs. Would you like to come along?"

Zhou Ran immediately chimed in, "That's right, staying at school all day is making us rusty. I heard there's a very effective wishing well halfway up Zongyun Mountain. Let's go hiking, breathe some fresh air, and work up a sweat. It'll be good for our health."

Shen Yi looked away from the table. She knew her roommates were trying to show their concern for her. After thinking about it, she decided that she should probably go out for a walk to clear her head, so she nodded in agreement.

"it is good."

On Saturday morning, the three of them changed into light clothes suitable for sports, met at the south gate of the school, and took a bus to Zongyun Mountain on the outskirts of Ningchuan City.

This is a wild mountain that has not been commercially developed. Sunlight filters through the dense canopy of trees, casting dappled patterns of light on the winding path.

The air in the forest is fresh, carrying the unique fragrance of soil and vegetation. Birds chirp and sing in the branches, adding a lot of vitality to this quiet forest.

Zhou Ran and Zhao Jiaxin kept trying to find topics to chat about and liven up the atmosphere.

The two would occasionally chat about funny stories from school or gossip from the internet, laughing together.

Shen Yi followed beside them, walking at a moderate pace.

She would occasionally smile faintly in agreement with their words, but most of the time, her eyes remained somewhat unfocused.

The physical exertion did not make her feel any relief; on the contrary, it made the heavy feeling in her chest even more pronounced.

The trails on Zongyun Mountain were complicated. The paths that were barely discernible at first became increasingly blurred and lost their boundaries as the three of them ventured deeper.

The wild grass and shrubs here are so tall that they almost completely block out the view. The weather in the mountains is always unpredictable. Before we knew it, a thin layer of white mist gradually rose around us.

At first, the fog was not thick; it was just like a light veil swirling around the forest.

Zhou Ran and Zhao Jiaxin were still chatting enthusiastically as they parted the branches ahead, while Shen Yi followed behind.

Her mind was completely elsewhere. Occasionally, when she heard laughter or conversation coming from ahead, she would simply nod instinctively in response.

The scene of our breakup that day, and the time we spent in that rented apartment, kept replaying in my mind.

She didn't know how long she had walked, but when she came to her senses, she found that Zhou Ran and Zhao Jiaxin, who had been walking ahead, had completely disappeared, and the surroundings were shrouded in white mist.

"Zhou Ran? Jiaxin?"

Shen Yi raised her voice and shouted twice, but her voice carried through the thick fog without any echo.

She began to feel a little panicked and ran a few steps forward, but she still couldn't see them.

She took her phone out of her pocket, the screen lit up, but there was no signal and she couldn't get a GPS location.

Shen Yi, clutching her phone, wandered aimlessly for a long time through the misty woods.

She stopped by an old tree when her legs were so sore she could barely walk, next to a blue stone.

She was completely lost.

Shen Yi sat down against the rock. The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the occasional sound of dewdrops falling from the leaves.

Looking at the vast white world before her, she suddenly felt calm. She even thought that dying here might not be so bad.

With her mother gone and unable to be with the person she loved, she could find no motivation to keep living.

Shen Yi curled her legs up, buried her chin in her arms, and closed her eyes, as if waiting for death to come.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from in front of her.

Shen Yi initially thought that Zhou Ran and the others had returned. She slowly raised her head, and the thick fog was parted by a slight breeze, revealing a tall and slender figure in front of her.

The person who came was dressed simply in everyday clothes. Lin Ye walked up to her and stopped. Looking at her pale and haggard face, he extended a hand.

"Let me take you down the mountain."

Shen Yi looked at the hand hanging in mid-air. She didn't grab it. Instead, she braced her hands on the cold stone and tried to stand up on her own.

Perhaps it's because my body has been too weak lately, or perhaps it's because I've been sitting for too long, but my legs are a little numb.

She had just stood up halfway when her knees buckled. Lin reached out and supported her shoulders, slowly helping her to her feet.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Lin asked, looking at her.

Shen Yi kept her eyes elsewhere, avoiding Lin Ye's gaze: "No need."

She strained to break free from Lin Ye's support.

Lin Ye looked at her unsteady steps and, without asking for her opinion again, directly took her cold hand.

Lin Ye's palms were warm, and a long-lost feeling came through the moment their palms touched.

Shen Yi tried to pull her hand back, but after two unsuccessful attempts, she reluctantly let Lin Ye hold her hand.

After walking for a while, the thick fog around them gradually thinned out, and the path down the mountain became clearly visible. Perhaps soon the two would have to part ways again.

Lin suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Shen Yi stopped, but then she heard Lin Ye's deep and calm voice.

"Shen Yi, I like you."

Shen Yi seemed to be frozen in place, as if under a spell.

She stood there stunned for a long time, her eyes red, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam.

"Why didn't you stop me like that that day and tell me all this? If you had, maybe I would have..."

As she finished speaking, she cried even harder, her thin shoulders heaving violently.

Lin Ye looked at her, tears streaming down her face, and whispered, "I'm sorry."

He took a step forward, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.