The autumn afternoon sun still carried a trace of summer’s heat.

Crickets, nearing the end of their lives, chirped incessantly, replacing the fading hum of cicadas.

Wenlan Academy’s lunch break was generous.

Students could leisurely do as they pleased.

The computer lab stayed open. Some treated it like a makeshift internet café—gaming was still a stretch, but browsing or watching videos posed no problem.

In 2004, when most phones were only for calls, computers remained irreplaceable.

Beyond the lab lay the library, nestled at the academy’s heart. Students from elementary, middle, and high school sections accessed it through separate entrances.

From classical literature to manga and popular novels, it held everything.

Basketball lovers headed to courts beside the field.

Soccer fans claimed the central pitch.

Those just wanting sunshine sat on benches along the track.

Wenlan’s environment bred freedom—and wildly diverse personalities.

Most elite schools churned out rigid, cookie-cutter students obsessed with grades.

Wenlan’s philosophy was simple: *Pass the triennial assessments, and do as you please.*

Trials came at third grade, sixth grade, ninth grade, and twelfth grade.

After high school? Wenlan washed its hands of you.

Fail earlier assessments? You were out.

—Unless money talked… as long as grades weren’t *too* disastrous.

Still, Wenlan topped college acceptance rates even in this small city. Its alumni included industry elites and fiercely original artists alike.

Leaf Grace and Water Poem strolled onto the field, drawing countless stares.

Autumn Ease had planned to join them but got cornered by male classmates.

Now they *saw* his worth.

Naturally, they grilled him about his relationship with Leaf Grace.

“Girlfriend,” he answered bluntly.

Jealous sighs and playful punches followed—just roughhousing, really.

(Though part of them hoped to delay his reunion with her.)

Everyone understood the unspoken rule.

After lunch, Leaf Grace and Water Poem only meant to walk.

Then Leaf Grace spotted a familiar face.

Or someone *almost* familiar.

A girl resembling GuanPeng, with a round, doll-like face radiating cuteness.

“Could that be Guan Yuanyue?” Leaf Grace whispered to Water Poem.

“Hmm… try calling her?” Water Poem suggested with a light laugh.

“Guan Yuanyue—” Leaf Grace called softly. The girl, chin propped on her palm as she watched soccer, snapped her head around. Her eyes met their smiling faces.

“You calling me?” she asked, puzzled.

“Yep. Are you Guan Yuanyue?”

“Damn right! Name’s Guan Yuanyue, take it or leave it!” She thumped her chest with a hollow *thud*. Despite her petite, doll-like features and sweet voice, her tone brimmed with swagger. “What’s up? Need something from your *jie*?”

Leaf Grace covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. *GuanPeng always called himself ‘ge’ or ‘Laozi’…*

*Even as a girl.*

*He’s still GuanPeng.*

*That stubborn spirit never changed.*

“Oh… nothing. Just heard a cute girl joined the class next door. Wanted to meet her.”

“Pfft! ‘Cute’? I’m *naturally stunning*! ‘Cute’’s for little kids! Though… you’re not bad either.”

“Sure, sure~” Leaf Grace studied her. Same brash tone as the old GuanPeng, yet utterly new.

“Tch. Don’t bother me while I’m watching the game.”

“You like soccer?” Leaf Grace plopped down on the grass beside her.

Soccer games happened daily, but players were scarce compared to basketball.

The pitch was smaller than regulation size.

Most couldn’t gather enough players unless they joined the school team.

So only the team trained here regularly. Others borrowed the field during breaks for casual kicks.

Soccer was easier to start than basketball—you didn’t need dribbling skills to kick a ball toward goal.

But easy to start didn’t mean easy to master…

Still, everyone played casually. Even the team’s rules were messy sometimes.

“Eh, it kills time. I’d rather game.”

“Heard about that new game dropping soon?”

“Yeah—ugh, I wanna buy it, but gotta get good grades first. Why couldn’t it launch *during* school? No time to play now!” Guan Yuanyue hugged her knees, grumbling. “Wonder what it’s actually like…”

“If you want it, I’ll gift you a dedicated console.”

More console than computer—mouse and keyboard attached, shaped like a PC but locked to that game and its developer’s titles.

At most, it ran tiny apps like calculators or calendars.

In this era, such devices rarely sold.

No practical excuse existed to buy one.

A computer? You could claim “research.”

A game console?

*Just for fun?*

*Hmm…*

Likely a luxury for the wealthy.

The cheapest model cost over a thousand yuan—not outrageous, but steep for most. People weighed value, not just price.

“Gift me? Why?” Guan Yuanyue eyed Leaf Grace warily. “We’re not even close. And I’ve got nothing you’d want.”

“I just like you,” Leaf Grace teased, winking.

“Whoa! I’m not into girls!” Guan Yuanyue hugged herself, shuddering dramatically.

Both girls burst into giggles.

*Imagine the old, male GuanPeng saying that…*

*How bizarre.*

*What if he said it to Autumn Ease?*

*GuanPeng or Guan Yuanyue—it’d be hilarious either way.*

“Kidding! That thing’s too pricey to just give away.” Leaf Grace’s eyes sparkled. She’d rethink gifting consoles to friends.

*What about a raffle at the school gate?*

*Let specific people “win.”*

*Jin Jiahui, Feng Yulan, Luo Liangjian, Guan Yuanyue… anyone else?*

*Oh—right. That guy Autumn Ease.*

*Would she meet others from before?*

*Like Lunar Shadow and Heavenly Sound, gravely wounded in the final battle? Or Ten Rain, now with Ye Yu—rumor said they were the same person.*

*Or poor Tang Ye, chip-controlled… forced to self-destruct mid-fight…*

*Leaf Grace knew she never wanted to die.*

*A life never truly her own.*

*So many others…*

*Would they be here?*

Leaf Grace scanned the field. No other familiar faces.

The living might reappear. The dead? Gone forever.

Like Ji Yingying…

Commander of Distant Sky Research Institute. She died holding off invaders after reality itself eroded—butterfly effects from the future collapsing the present into apocalypse.

Leaf Grace’s group had been trapped inside the Anomaly Point.

Unable to help.

Ruthless raiders swarmed in relentless waves, destroying the institute.

Water Poem later shattered the Anomaly Point to return—but too late.

Cornered, facing assault, Ji Yingying sent herself to heaven with her last bullet…

Chaos consumed the world afterward.

Leaf Grace’s group fought desperately.

But order never returned.

Reality shattered completely.

*This peaceful world was precious. Hard-won.*

*That’s why she cherished it so fiercely.*

“Leaving?” Guan Yuanyue called as Leaf Grace turned away.

“Yep.”

“You’re weird… but since we’ve met, consider us friends! Next time, let’s hit the arcades! I wreck at fighting games!”

*Arcades…?*

Leaf Grace paused. *That game could go viral.*

*Just build gaming parlors like internet cafés or arcades.*

*With that revolutionary quality, it’d sweep the globe.*

*Poor World of Warcraft in this timeline…*

*Unless… this world’s WoW was actually the upgraded “Earth Online.”*

*Wait—was Blizzard the developer?*