Leaving All in the Dust

Autumn Ease felt that way as he rode his women’s electric scooter.

Otaku excel at fantasizing—it enriches their inner worlds. After all, their real lives can feel so barren.

The area was dotted with abandoned lots. Contractors had bought them but lacked funds to start projects, so they lay idle.

The road was newly paved. Yet overloaded trucks had left it bumpy and uneven. One careless moment could send you into a pothole, triggering a wild, jarring shake.

This was a southern city. Fragrant flowers and trees should have filled the air. Instead, only swirling yellow dust remained.

It gave Autumn Ease the illusion of instantly teleporting to Beijing. Like the infamous smog had returned.

“Cough… damn… this place…”

“Don’t talk!” Feng Yulan muffled through her hand. “Just drive through this stretch quickly!”

The farther they went, the more desolate it became. It was hard to believe a KFC could operate near the construction site ahead.

Past this stretch, the streets normalized. At least these roads were finished. Unclaimed shops lined the sides. A high-rise complex stood out—buildings at least seventeen stories tall.

A few shops had opened. Business seemed slow. Clearly, they weren’t banking on current customers. They were investing in future prosperity.

Buying shops early was a form of investment.

That was Autumn Ease’s life goal.

His own shop. Business neither booming nor failing. Just enough to live on. Free time for his passions—drawing comics, learning to code small games, then bigger ones…

That was his ideal life.

“We’re here. This construction site.” Feng Yulan’s voice made Autumn Ease stop.

Beyond the street lay the site. Building frames were nearly complete. Workers were laying bricks, bustling with energy.

Autumn felt cold in his jacket under the autumn breeze. Yet many workers labored shirtless, drenched in sweat.

Autumn scanned the crowd. No sign of Jin Jiahui.

“Where is he?”

“Probably on break. Shall we go in?” Feng Yulan asked.

“Sure.”

But the site guard blocked Autumn’s scooter.

“Hey—you can’t just enter a construction site!” the guard shouted.

“Fine… call him out,” Autumn sighed, turning back.

“Okay…”

Autumn parked nearby. Feng Yulan texted Jin Jiahui. Moments later, he appeared at the gate.

“Damn, Jiahui—you’re ripped now!” Autumn exclaimed, squeezing Jin’s arm.

“Eh, not bad,” Jin chuckled awkwardly.

Autumn acted like high school days. Their bond felt unchanged. If not for fading contact, Jin would still be his closest friend.

Jin had been Autumn’s classmate since elementary school. Back then, he’d meant more than GuanPeng or Lei Ge.

Jin looked utterly different now.

In Autumn’s memory, Jin’s skin was yellowish but fair. Now it was bronze. His muscles were pronounced—not bodybuilder bulky, but powerfully lean. Natural.

“Lean and strong” summed it up.

Autumn wouldn’t doubt Jin could knock someone out with one punch.

“Jin Jiahui~” Feng Yulan greeted warmly, though more reserved than Autumn.

Jin studied Feng Yulan. “You’ve gotten stunningly beautiful…”

“Right? This guy’s prettier than most girls!” Autumn slapped Jin’s shoulder, grinning. “Long time no see, Jiahui. Miss me?”

“You’re not a girl. Why would I miss you?” Jin laughed heartily.

“Whoa—so you miss Xiao Lan then?”

“Don’t call me Xiao Lan! That’s so cringey!” Feng Yulan rolled her eyes.

“See, Jiahui? Xiao Lan’s blushing.” Autumn waggled his eyebrows lewdly.

“Enough.” Jin clapped Autumn’s shoulder hard. “Stop teasing. Let’s find a place to sit.”

“Damn, man—you trying to kill me?” Autumn winced, clutching his shoulder.

“Not that dramatic.”

“Good hit, Jin Jiahui!” Feng Yulan cheered.

“Hey! I drove you here. Don’t be disloyal for a pretty face!”

“Who’s disloyal?!” Feng Yulan yelled.

“So you admit Jiahui’s the ‘pretty face’?”

“Die!” Feng Yulan grabbed Autumn’s neck.

“Seriously, let’s sit somewhere,” Jin repeated. Though same-aged, he seemed the most mature.

Autumn pushed his scooter. Feng Yulan and Jin walked side by side. They looked like a couple.

A city girl falling for a construction worker—like those cheesy dramas. Not mocking laborers. Just the trope popped into mind.

On this new street, the cleanest spot was the KFC. Despite daily dust, its windows gleamed. Kudos to the cleaning staff…

The shop was empty. A manager in uniform scrolled on his phone at the counter. He looked up as they entered.

“Hi. What can I get you?”

“Uh…” Autumn peered at the empty display. “Do you actually have ready food?”

“Sorry. Only one burger’s prepped. Orders take time since business is slow.”

“Fine. What’ll you two have?” Autumn turned to them.

“Hmm…” Feng Yulan bit her finger, scanning the menu. Overwhelmed, she glanced at Jin. “Jin Jiahui, you order first?”

“I rarely eat KFC. You pick.” Jin deflected.

He truly didn’t frequent such places. The site canteen was cheap and filling, even if bland.

“How about… a Family Bucket?” Feng Yulan suggested.

“Works.” Autumn nodded. “Enough for three.”

They ordered and headed upstairs. With no customers, the manager fried and delivered their food himself.

Eating wasn’t the point. Catching up was.

Though years apart, Autumn felt instantly close to Jin. Jin seemed distant with Autumn. But he chatted easily with Feng Yulan—their old bond had been average.

“Damn, Jiahui—you traitor! Ignoring me for Xiao Lan’s beauty!” Autumn protested.

“No, no…” Jin coughed, shifting topics. “Lately, strange things happened to me. You might not believe it.”

“What?” Autumn and Feng Yulan asked in unison.

Both sensed it. Jin might’ve shared their common dream.

Dreamers saw different angles. But the world felt identical—like a real, lost realm.

“Yeah… it’s weird.” Jin started, then paused as the manager delivered the bucket. After he left, Jin gazed out the window. “I have two sets of memories. Two selves—different personalities, different lives. Both feel real. Sometimes I can’t tell which is the true me.”

“Huh? Really?” Autumn scratched his head. He felt no such thing.

“Mmm… I get that sometimes too,” Feng Yulan nodded.

Only Autumn was different.

“I also had a long, vivid dream. Strange…” Jin cracked his knuckles, sipping cola. “Like a real lifetime. Over time, it grew clearer. Now I feel the dream was more real than this life.”

“In your dream… was I… a girl?” Feng Yulan asked carefully, blushing.

“What? How’d you know?” Jin looked shocked.

“I think… we shared the same dream,” Feng Yulan whispered.

“All three of us,” Autumn corrected. “GuanPeng had it too, but forgot after fainting.”

“Incredible,” Jin murmured. “What does it mean?”

“Not sure about meaning,” Autumn dipped a fry in ketchup, serious. “But maybe it wasn’t a dream. Maybe this life is the dream.”

His words froze them both.