Pretend to be crazy - Chapter 72

The light in the room was off, and the dim glow of the computer screen cast shadows across Shen Yan’s face.

Shen Yan didn’t have a gentle appearance—his facial features were sharp and cold. But since he usually smiled and was friendly with everyone, the hostility in his features was softened.

Now, his face was expressionless. His thick dark lashes drooped low, and the menace that usually lay dormant beneath his appearance was resurfacing. He didn’t look easy to mess with.

On the computer screen, the little pixel character wearing a metal feather necklace had finally defeated the boss. After the boss died, a small treasure chest dropped, bouncing over to the character and opening with a pop. Inside was a note:

[Dear warrior, would you like to continue playing this joyful game with me?]

[yes / no]

Shen Yan saved the game and clicked “no”.

The screen went black—then the note appeared again.

[Dear warrior, would you like to continue playing this joyful game with me?]

[yes / yes]

Shen Yan: …

He sneered and tried to exit the game. But when he moved the cursor to the exit button, the protagonist appeared, blocking it.

The protagonist was a little pixel figure, who gradually grew until his face filled the entire screen.

Dark eyes stared straight at him.

Another dialog box appeared below:

[Bro, want to keep playing this joyful game with me?]

[yes / yes / yes / yes / yes]

The screen was filled with selectable “yes” options.

Shen Yan let go of the mouse, tapped a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Smoke swirled around him.

He leaned back in the chair, completely relaxed, and smoked the entire cigarette before stubbing it out in the ashtray.

Then he unplugged the computer.

The room’s only light source disappeared. The curtains were drawn, and darkness enveloped everything—so dark he couldn’t see his hand in front of him.

Shen Yan stared into the darkness, brows furrowed tightly. He really couldn’t figure it out.

He had already escaped to Red Star. Why was Ruan Zhixian still haunting him like a ghost?

That shouldn’t be happening.

To be safe, before the spaceship left Black Star, he told the others he would disappear for a while. They were to continue as planned, and he would contact them after they were captured and imprisoned to guide them on the next step.

In truth, there was no next step.

Or rather, whatever chain reactions followed wouldn’t involve him—the “dead man”.

He had mailed a fake urn to Ai Wei with a letter, claiming he knew too much and had been silenced by District One’s Qi Cong. He urged them to continue their mission to overthrow the system.

Shen Yan had asked Ai Wei to pass on the message to Ruan Zhixian and the others after they escaped.

Qi Cong was the only one who knew Shen Yan had gone to Red Star. Shen Yan didn’t trust him to keep that secret, so he set up post-mortem damage control.

An unexpected death would raise suspicion, especially after he had so confidently painted a picture of a bright future for them.

There were usually two outcomes:

1. They found out he escaped first, then received the urn. Their anger at him would dissipate and redirect toward District One.
2. They received the urn first, then found out he’d run. In this case, Qi Cong’s story would sound like a cover-up, and they probably wouldn’t believe it.

Of course, there was a third possibility:

No one ever went to find Ai Wei! No one even knew about his “fake death” plan!

Shen Yan covered his face and took a deep breath.

He had been on Red Star for almost two years. He met Zhou Hui a little over a year ago. At first, he really had just treated him like a neighbor. But the longer they spent time together, the stronger the sense of déjà vu grew—he had to face the truth.

Zhou Hui wasn’t Ruan Zhixian himself.

But he was definitely Ruan Zhixian’s will incarnate on Red Star—his eyes, his voice.

Deliberately hovering around him, sneakily calling him “bro” once, giving him a necklace with three metal feathers on his birthday and insisting on putting it on him himself. After finishing the game, the end credits included a string of meaningless code.

When cracked, it showed Ruan Zhixian’s name alongside Shen Yan’s.

At the time, “Zhou Hui” looked up at him, eyes wide with confusion, and asked, “Who’s Ruan Zhixian?”

Shen Yan almost blew his cover.

But thinking that getting a rise out of him might be Ruan Zhixian’s goal, he suppressed it.

If Ruan Zhixian could keep pretending forever, Shen Yan was willing to play along forever too.

Unfortunately, Ruan Zhixian didn’t.

Zhou Hui exited the stage, and after leaving, he sent Shen Yan a new game, telling him to beat it—there would be a surprise.

This was the surprise?

Shen Yan turned the computer back on. The screen was still filled with “yes”.

He randomly clicked one.

All the “yes” options disappeared. The little figure’s dark eyes curved into cheerful arcs.

[Bro, wait for me.]

The computer returned to normal.

Shen Yan opened the terminal and booked a ticket to L City.

Then he canceled it.

No need.

Zhou Hui didn’t message him again. It was as if he vanished into thin air.

Without a gaming buddy and no game he wanted to play, Shen Yan stayed home for two days before getting restless and heading out to find Chen Fen.

Chen Fen had been his boss when he apprenticed at a tattoo shop. He quit after a month and a half because a customer claimed Chen Fen had slept with his girlfriend and trashed the store. Shen Yan intervened, dislocated the guy’s arm in the process.

The customer wanted to sue, saying he’d ruin the shop. Shen Yan saw the signs—this guy was likely a rival’s goon. He met with him privately, gave him some cash, fed him some sweet talk, and flipped him to their side.

But Shen Yan’s bad reputation had already spread. People said he was Chen Fen’s enforcer—beat up anyone who didn’t behave or screamed too loudly during tattoos.

Business visibly declined.

Shen Yan was devastated. He’d only ever practiced on fake skin and hadn’t even gotten to work on a real person before quitting.

Chen Fen said she owed him one—any tattoo he wanted in the future would be free.

When he showed up, Chen Fen was in the middle of work. She nodded at him, “Ten minutes.”

Shen Yan didn’t just sit around—he helped clean up. By the time he finished, Chen Fen was done too.

She pulled off her gloves and asked, “Got a design? If not, I just drew a new one that suits you.”

Shen Yan smiled, “Not here for a tattoo. Treating you to a drink. You in?”

Chen Fen paused and looked at him. “Got something on your mind? Someone conned you on your trip and now you’re broke?”

“Yeah,” Shen Yan joked. “I’m nearly five million in debt. Luckily, I’ve still got enough for a drink.”

Chen Fen packed up and locked the shop. “Let’s go to Polar. I’ll call Lightbulb and Xiaowei. You’ve been traveling so much we barely see you—they miss you.”

Lightbulb and Xiaowei got there first. Both chatterboxes, they surrounded Shen Yan and talked nonstop. When they heard from Chen Fen that he was feeling down, they went all out—called several hot guys to cheer him up.

Being surrounded by fawning men gave Shen Yan the creeps. After a while, one guy even tried to feed him mouth-to-mouth, which horrified him even more. He quickly excused himself to “go to the bathroom” and stepped outside for air.

The night wind outside the bar was bitterly cold. Shen Yan exhaled, breath forming white mist. He looked up at a tall building in the distance, the sharp spire topped with a crescent moon.

Another year had passed.

Chen Fen came out with him and asked for a cigarette, watching the moon together. After a while, she suddenly said, “How about you get yourself a partner?”

“Why do you say that?”

Chen Fen put out her cigarette with her foot. “Just tell me—are you seeing someone or not? What kind do you like?”

Shen Yan: “No plans for that.”

Chen Fen looked at him. “Really none?”

Shen Yan: “None.”

Chen Fen studied his face for a moment. She truly couldn’t find a trace of any fluttering in his expression, sighed helplessly, and sincerely said:

“Shen Yan, whenever you want to be with someone, just contact me. I have several friends who’d be perfect for you.”

As they walked back, Shen Yan got curious. “Chen, what kind of person do you think suits me?”

Chen Fen didn’t hold back: “You have very strong boundaries. It’s easy for you to be friends with others, but if you want to go further, it’s harder than climbing the sky.”

“But you’re also very softhearted, and you can’t resist persistent pleading. So the person who suits you best must have three major qualities—”

She held up three fingers: “Strong-willed, strong-willed, and strong-willed.”

Shen Yan: “…”

Chen Fen looked at him meaningfully. “Who are you thinking about?”

Shen Yan: “The neighbor.”

Chen Fen narrowed her eyes, “Just a neighbor?”

Shen Yan pushed the door open, “Just a neighbor.”

They played until past midnight. Shen Yan came home drunk and fell asleep, but his night was restless.

He dreamt of Ruan Zhixian pinning him down in all kinds of places, asking whether it felt good, if he was comfortable, if it was right or wrong.

No matter how he answered, it never stopped. The dream didn’t hurt, the pleasure was clearer—so clear it felt like someone was really doing those things to him.

Hands wandered over his body, and a blurry face whispered in his ear softly—

Shen Yan jolted awake, sitting up only to fall back down again.

Damn.

His mouth was dry, his tongue sore, his head felt like it was splitting open, his whole body was weak, and his mind partly blank—he couldn’t remember anything.

He moved and it felt like someone had beaten him hard all over—every muscle and bone screamed in pain. He gasped in confusion.

What the hell happened?

Did he sleepwalk out and fight some gangsters? He had no memory of it.

He hadn’t even drunk that much.

He struggled to prop himself up on his elbows, his body aching so much he was short of breath.

It wasn’t just pain—it was a strange mix of pain and soreness like bruises.

His heart raced as he lifted his shirt.

His skin looked normal—no unusual marks.

But he still couldn’t relax.

He heard the TV in the living room.

“Star Calendar… report… to the public…”

The sound was muffled but clearly a repeating news broadcast.

His heart pounded as he strained to catch the words but got nothing more than a looping news report.

He sat on the bed for a while, then dragged himself to the bedroom door.

He pressed his ear to the door and held his breath.

Finally, it became clear.

“Star Calendar year 136, July 28. A criminal gang led by Ruan has broken out of prison. Citizens are advised to be vigilant and report any clues immediately…”

Knock knock.

A crisp knocking suddenly exploded at the door. Shen Yan’s spine chilled, and he quickly stepped back two paces.

The doorknob slowly turned. He stared fixedly at the rotating knob, feet rooted to the spot. Even though he expected this, he still couldn’t stop his breathing from becoming shallow and uneven.

The door opened.

Ruan Zhixian smiled at him.

“Bro, good morning.”

“Did you dream about me last night?”

Shen Yan didn’t answer.

His gaze passed over Ruan Zhixian to the TV, where the same news was repeating.

And three cold-eyed people staring at him.

Shen Yan: Daring not to open his eyes, hoping this was just a hallucination.