The sunlight in the classroom has a shape.
Mu Xinrong remembered it clearly—it was 3:17 p.m., the sun slanting in through the west window, drawing a golden dividing line across the desks. Tiny particles of dust floated in the light, like stardust frozen in midair by some mysterious force.
Chao Youye was sitting in that light.
He was sleeping on his desk, his eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyelids, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, as if he had dreamed of something interesting. The sunlight fell on his soft black hair, coating it with a layer of furry gold, and even the tips of his hair were warm.
Mu Xinrong stared at him for a while, then reached out her hand and gently touched his eyelashes with her fingertips.
Chao Youye wrinkled his nose but didn't wake up.
Mu Xinrong withdrew his hand, took out a ballpoint pen from the drawer, and drew a crooked rabbit on the blank space of the textbook.
"…What are you drawing?"
Chao Youye's voice suddenly came from the side, hoarse from just waking up.
Mu Xinrong's hand shook and the rabbit's tail was drawn crookedly.
"Nothing." He closed the textbook with a calm demeanor. "Go to sleep."
Chao Youye propped up her chin and looked at him, her eyes curved into crescents: "Mu Xinrong, your ears are red."
"……Shut up."
Chao Youye smiled even more happily and reached out to grab his textbook: "Let me see it——"
Mu Xinrong held onto the textbook tightly: "No!"
As the two of them were pulling each other, the textbook fell to the ground with a "bang", and the page with the rabbit picture was open.
He bent down to pick it up, stared at the ugly rabbit for two seconds, and suddenly said, "Is this me?"
"……no."
"That's right." Chao Youye pointed at the rabbit ears. "The angle of the hair here is exactly the same as the one that got messed up by the fan yesterday."
Mu Xinrong was speechless.
Chao Youye returned the textbook to him, took out a can of orange soda from her schoolbag, opened the ring with a click, and pushed it in front of Mu Xinrong: "To bribe you, draw another one of me."
The condensation on the soda can slid down, leaving a winding water mark on the desk.
Mu Xinrong curled her lips and said, "I won't draw."
She smiled at Youye, leaned close to his ear, and lowered her voice: "Because I am your boyfriend."
Mu Xinrong's ears felt hot, but before he could retort, Chao Youye had already stood up and ruffled his hair: "Wait for me after school, I'll take you for ice cream."
———This is Chao Youye in this world line.
A gentle, lively, cheerful and playful high school student.
Mu Xinrong couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.
The noisy sounds in the classroom suddenly became clearer. Mu Xinrong looked around and found that he was indeed in school. The classmates around him were chatting in groups of three or four, and the blackboard still had the notes from the previous class.
Everything is so real, yet with an indescribable sense of incongruity.
"What's wrong?"
Chao Youye noticed his strange behavior and asked, "Are you stupid?"
Mu Xinrong shook his head, trying to suppress the uneasiness in his heart. "Nothing, just a strange dream."
"What did you dream about?"
"I can't remember clearly." Mu Xinrong frowned, "It seemed like something...fire? And milk..."
Chao Youye's expression suddenly turned serious, but it was fleeting. "Don't think too much. I'll take you somewhere after school."
The bell rang, and the students streamed out. Chao Youye took Mu Xinrong's hand and led him through the corridor. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on them. Mu Xinrong looked down at their clasped hands, feeling an inexplicable sense of security.
The wind on the rooftop was so strong that it messed up Mu Xinrong's hair. Chao Youye took out a hair tie from her pocket and expertly tied it into a small bun for him.
"When did you bring this?" Mu Xinrong touched the small braid behind her head, a little surprised.
"Last time you complained that your hair was too long." Chao Youye took out two lunch boxes from her schoolbag, "Eat."
Mu Xinrong opened the box, revealing his favorite fried shrimp and tamagoyaki neatly stacked inside. He took a bite, and his eyes lit up. "You made this?"
"Yeah." Chao Youye lowered her head to eat, but the tips of her ears turned red.
Mu Xinrong stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned over and kissed him on the cheek: "Thank you."
"Chao Youye," he asked softly, "how long have we known each other?"
Chao Youye paused. "Four years and four months," he answered precisely. "Since my freshman year of high school."
"You remember it so clearly."
"I remember everything about you." Chao Youye's voice was soft, but it made Mu Xinrong's heart skip a beat.
A bell rang in the distance. Chao Youye looked at his watch and said, "It's time to go back."
He stood up and extended his hand to Mu Xinrong.
Mu Xinrong held onto that hand, but the moment he stood up, he felt dizzy. The view on the rooftop began to distort, and Chao Youye's face became blurry. He clutched Chao Youye's hand in fear: "What's going on?"
"Don't be afraid," Chao Youye's voice came closer and farther, "it's just a dream." "Dream?"
"Remember, no matter what happens, don't believe——"
His smile was still bright, but Mu Xinrong inexplicably remembered what Ye Qingliu said yesterday -
"Stay away from him."
"He's not who you think he is."
Before he could finish his words, the world suddenly collapsed.
————————————————————
In the cold laboratory, countless incubators were filled with mutilated human bodies. Mu Xinrong stood in the center, and Chao Youye—no, that wasn't Chao Youye anymore.
He was wearing a pure white robe, his silver hair was hanging down, and his pupils were a mechanical ice purple.
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