It was a rainy day.
When Lin Cheng woke up, Xu Wanyue was sitting by the window listening to the rain. She had already changed back into her dress in the bathroom, her dark hair cascading loosely behind her, slightly disheveled. Lin Cheng sat up in bed.
“Morning.”
“It’s already ten-thirty. Where’s the ‘morning’ about it?” Xu Wanyue pointed at the clock on the wall.
Lin Cheng got out of bed and went to freshen up. When he returned, he looked toward Xu Wanyue by the window. “Want to head downstairs for a bowl of noodles? There’s a great noodle shop down there.”
“Sure.” Xu Wanyue stood up, tied her hair back with the hair tie on her wrist, and slipped on her high heels. Lin Cheng grabbed an umbrella, and the two of them headed to the noodle shop together, the rain pattering softly on the umbrella.
Lin Cheng had been eating at this noodle shop for years. He ordered two fried eggs. The owner, who had practically watched him grow up, eyed Xu Wanyue sitting across from him with curiosity.
After breakfast, Lin Cheng walked Xu Wanyue to the roadside to wait for a taxi.
The city sky was overcast, a rare rainy day. Lin Cheng suddenly said, “You know what? Let me give you a ride back. I need to catch a cab to somewhere anyway.”
“Where to?”
“To meet up with Litchi and visit an old friend.”
Xu Wanyue gave a soft hum of acknowledgment. They sat together in the back seat of the taxi. She rolled down the window, her cheek leaning slightly toward it. Cool wind and raindrops brushed her face, and the world inside the car fell quiet. Neither she nor Lin Cheng spoke again.
Half an hour later, they dropped Xu Wanyue off. Lin Cheng waved goodbye to her, then took another cab to Rose Street. He had messaged Litchi ahead of time. After getting out of the taxi, he quickly spotted her sports car parked by the roadside. He slid into the passenger seat, buckled up, and they were off.
Their destination was the cemetery.
After parking, Lin Cheng held the umbrella over Litchi. The cemetery air carried the scent of fresh grass and damp earth, serene and still.
Litchi cradled a bouquet of pink lilies in her arms. She and Lin Cheng approached the grave. She gently placed the flowers in front of the tombstone. The cemetery was always well-maintained, free of weeds. Litchi’s lashes lowered slightly as she gazed at the stone, raindrops falling transparently before her eyes.
Cemeteries were strange places like that.
The living and the dead could no longer speak to each other, so silence was all that remained. Lin Cheng didn’t know what to say. He stared at the raindrops too—clear and transparent, yet in that moment, they seemed to hold countless memories.
The name on the tombstone belonged to Shu Wan.
Lin Cheng had met her when he was sixteen. He had lied about his age to join the Alliance, so everyone thought he was twenty-one that year. The nineteen-year-old girl always treated him like a big-brother senior.
Back then, his squad had five members total—most Alliance squads did. Before Shu Wan joined, his teammates had cycled through batch after batch. Lin Cheng remembered their first meeting was in autumn. The squad’s healer had died in battle. He returned from the funeral to find a girl in an Alliance uniform waiting under the locust tree at the training field.
Her hands were clasped behind her back, her porcelain-pale cheeks tilted up slightly. “My name is Shu Wan. From now on… are you my captain?”
“Mm, I’m Si Ming.”
The girl hopped forward a step. “I never thought the day would come when I’d join the legendary squad of Lord Si Ming.”
“…Just call me Si Ming.”
“Can I call you Captain, then?”
“Sure.”
“Want some coffee? I brought some.”
“Okay.”
In Lin Cheng’s memories, Shu Wan was a lively, bright girl with the occasional touch of quiet melancholy. His squad had always been a silent bunch, but her cheerfulness livened things up. After every training session, she would tally everyone’s drink orders and have takeout delivered right to their hands.
“Doesn’t it feel weird drinking bubble tea through a straw with a mask on, Captain?”
“It does seem a bit odd.”
“Then why not take the mask off?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Eh, no thanks.”
“Why do you wear the mask anyway, Captain?”
“Because I’m not much to look at.”
“Eh? Captain’s got an idol complex! But… I really want to see. We’re squadmates, after all!”
“They don’t want to see it.”
“But I do!”
The mask wasn’t that big a deal anyway, so Lin Cheng took it off in front of her. Shu Wan reached out and pinched his cheeks a few times. He heard her say, “Eh, Captain… are you really nineteen?”
“Yes.”
“You’re so cute! Hahaha!”
Si Ming put the mask back on with a sigh. “It’s a secret.”
“Got it, got it. Our little secret, then.”
“But Captain, you’re actually really handsome. Not ugly at all. Liar.”
“You’re pretty too.”
“I know I’m pretty! Hahaha.” The girl in front of him laughed so hard she shook.
“…”
“Captain, when do you think the Catastrophes will end?” The girl’s eyes gazed at the lilies by the window, a hint of sorrow in their beauty.
“Soon… soon…”
“Yeah, I believe you, Captain. Winter’s almost here. I’ve been in the squad two months now. Thanks for protecting me these past two months.”
“It’s what a captain does.”
“But it really touches me. You looked so cool swinging that sword—like a novel’s male lead. I got a gift for you, Captain.”
“…No need.”
“But I already knitted the scarf! It has little bunny ears on the ends. Super cute!” Shu Wan shoved the gift box into his arms, watching him expectantly. “I want to see you wear it.”
Lin Cheng opened the box. The snowy-white scarf had adorable bunny ears at both ends. The corner of his eye twitched faintly, but the girl’s eyes brimmed with anticipation—and maybe a hint of mischief.
“It’s… definitely cute.”
“I spent two hours every night knitting it for a whole month. You’ll wear it, right, Captain?”
“…Yes.”
And so at Alliance Headquarters, people often saw Si Ming—the one with the fearsome ghost mask and black custom uniform—sporting a cute bunny-eared scarf around his neck. The bunny ears bounced with every step he took.
“New Year’s almost here. No Catastrophes for the next few days. Are you going home to family, Captain?”
“I… don’t have family.”
“Eh? You’ve never mentioned that before, Captain.”
“No one’s ever asked.”
“Then come to my place for New Year’s Eve dinner? It’s just me and my little sister.”
“I’ll… think about it.”
“Thinking about it means yes. You don’t have anything else to do. Unless you’re spending it with some other girl?”
“…No.”
“It’s a date, then. New Year’s Eve at my house. I bought fireworks too. You, me, and my sister—we can set them off together.”
“…Okay.”
But halfway through their New Year’s Eve dinner, Abyss Monsters descended in an emergency. Lin Cheng had no choice but to don his mask and fight alongside Shu Wan. When they finally returned home, the food had gone cold. Her little sister sat quietly on the sofa, waiting for ages.
Shu Wan took her sister’s hand and led her down to the riverbank, but a downpour raged outside. The violent rain made it impossible to light the fireworks. Shu Wan and her sister sat dejectedly on the steps, while Lin Cheng stood nearby.
“We can do it tomorrow.”
“But New Year’s fireworks bring good luck. It’s our tradition. The rain will stop eventually.” Shu Wan’s eyes shone bright.
“It’s pouring. You’ll catch a cold.”
The storm was Elemental Turbulence triggered by the Abyss Descent—unlikely to let up anytime soon. Shu Wan’s sister was drifting off in her arms. Shu Wan whispered to Si Ming, “I promised her we’d watch fireworks.”
Lin Cheng sat with her on the steps under the eaves. An idea struck him. Energy orbs appeared in his hand, one after another. They detached and floated up into the stormy sky, exploding in brilliant displays like a fireworks show.
At some point, the girl beside him had leaned her head on his shoulder.
“So romantic.” Her voice was light.
Lin Cheng didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing. The dazzling lights reflected off every falling raindrop. He heard her ask softly, “Captain, once the Catastrophes end… will you watch fireworks with me again?”
“Yes.”
“You’re the best, Captain.”
She lifted her head, fireworks mirrored in her eyes. “The fireworks are beautiful. Captain… it’s just a bit cold.”
“Then let’s head home and watch.”
“That’s code for ‘hug me,’ dummy.”
Lin Cheng hesitated, then gently pulled her into his arms.
“I’ll remember this day forever. The day my captain joined me for New Year’s dinner and set off fireworks for me. I’ll never forget.”
“Captain… it’s really… so cold this time.”
“Looks like I won’t make it to see the Catastrophes end… Captain, forgive my selfishness. You deserve to live more than I do. I believe you’ll end them someday. Come straight to my grave and shout it to me then. I’ll hear you.”
“It’s a shame… I can’t watch fireworks or eat New Year’s dinner with you anymore… Turns out… dying is scary after all… Captain, can you hold me a little tighter?”
“My sister’s in your hands now. She loves litchis, but watch her for me. Too many and she’ll get heatstroke.”
“Captain… one more important thing… even if… it seems unfair to say it now…”
“I don’t actually like you that way. I just thought… you were cute. So gentle but always acting cold. It was… too fun.”
“Captain… so cold… hold me… tighter.”
When Lin Cheng was seventeen and a half, an SSS-Rank Catastrophe struck the world. Si Ming slew the SSS-Rank Abyss Sovereign. The Si Ming Squad’s five members were gravely wounded; one died.
That one should have been him. The first time facing an SSS-Rank Abyss Sovereign at SS-Rank, his Energy Core shattered. But Shu Wan shattered hers, using it to heal the Si Ming who should have died.
Lin Cheng thought he was numb to it all—death, goodbyes. But that day, the tears wouldn’t stop.
At her funeral, Shu Wan’s little sister pummeled him with tear-streaked fists. He stood silently, like a broken wind-up doll.
Later, he returned to the training field. Under that locust tree, he saw a girl who looked seventy or eighty percent like Shu Wan. She wore the Alliance’s white uniform, her eyes cold as she stared at him.
“My name is Litchi.”
