The sudden announcement banning nighttime outings caught Lin Wu off guard. It wasn’t until he lay in the dark that he remembered the last thing he said to Wang Ye and Yuan Sijie when they parted at dawn: “See you tonight.”
Yuan Sijie had responded with the same phrase.
But Wang Ye? That guy just gave a curt nod, like a boss brushing off a subordinate, a silent “noted” without uttering a single extra word.
The more Lin Wu thought about it, the more annoyed he became, feeling like he’d gotten the short end of the stick.
Damn, now I really can’t sleep.
The worst part was there’d never be a chance to even the score. He couldn’t exactly message Wang Ye and say, “Hey, say ‘see you tonight’ again so I can reply with a [noted.jpg] and feel better.”
Not that he ever texted Wang Ye, anyway.
If nighttime outings were like an “exclusive nighttime carnival,” then he, Wang Ye, and Yuan Sijie were “nighttime-only companions.” Outside those shadowed corridors, aside from the random encounter during the health check, they had no interactions in real life.
They’d exchanged WeChat contacts long ago, but just like many people who add each other without ever talking, it was just another profile in the list. Over time, you might even need to open the profile picture—or their moments feed—just to remember who they were.
What’s that guy doing now?
Lin Wu couldn’t help but wonder. Probably gaming again.
Maybe playing Detective Mr. Deer, twisting the plot so much that even the creator would feel their story was being ruined.
Or perhaps running a virtual animal restaurant, getting more worked up over troublesome customers than the customers themselves.
Before he realized it, Lin Wu had opened his WeChat chat with Wang Ye.
The chat history contained only one line, from two months ago, on the sixth day of the National Day holiday:
“I’ve accepted your friend request. We can now chat.”
Lin Wu stared at the message, cycling through potential opening lines that wouldn’t feel abrupt, awkward, or stupid.
In the end, he gave up.
I should’ve started a conversation right after adding him. Now it’s too hard to break the ice.
“Buzz.”
His phone suddenly vibrated, almost slipping out of his hands.
Wang Ye: Can’t sleep.
Wang Ye: What are you doing?
Lin Wu: “…”
Forget awkwardness or embarrassment. In Brother Ye’s world, such concepts don’t exist.
Lin Wu: Nothing. Just lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Wang Ye typed back quickly:
Wang Ye: Your nightlife is too boring.
Lin Wu: Oh, so yours is exciting? Clubbing while texting me, huh?
Wang Ye: Think of something.
Lin Wu: ?
Wang Ye: To pass the time.
Lin Wu: If I knew, I wouldn’t be lying here staring at the ceiling.
Wang Ye: What did you do when you couldn’t sleep before?
Lin Wu: I used to sleep just fine.
Wang Ye: Before sleeping, didn’t you listen to ghost stories or something?
Lin Wu: …What kind of hobby is that?!
Wang Ye: It’s fun. But I’ve listened to too many and got bored.
Wang Ye: You should try.
Lin Wu: [A meme reading “Prosperity, Democracy, Civilization, Harmony.jpg”]
Lin Wu: Don’t you have lots of games? Go play one.
Wang Ye: Playing on mute is no fun.
Lin Wu: Wear headphones.
Wang Ye: Uncomfortable.
Lin Wu: …
Could you be any more high-maintenance?!
Lin Wu: Then scroll through news, Weibo, or check out Shushan Loushi.
Wang Ye: What’s the last one?
Lin Wu: ?
Wang Ye: Shushan Loushi.
Lin Wu: It’s the school forum. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of it.
Wang Ye: [A meme reading “I’m too busy to care about trivial stuff.jpg”]
Lin Wu: …
Where does he even get these ridiculous memes?
In Dorm 509, the night was so quiet it felt asleep itself. The moonlight was cold, casting a faint glow.
Shushan Loushi was still downloading, and Wang Ye, bored out of his mind, idly glanced at the other three beds.
Yuan Sijie was chatting with someone, his phone’s glow reflecting his smiling eyes as he’d been at it for hours.
Jiang Tan was lying flat on his back, sleeping so straight it looked like he was standing at attention in bed.
Ge Liang, hugging half a pillow, was gnawing on it. Who knew what kind of dream he was having?
The long night dragged on, unbearably vexing. Not one of them was useful.
Finally, Shushan Loushi finished downloading.
Wang Ye turned over to find a more comfortable position, opening the app as he thought to himself, Good thing I caught Lin Wu.
Dorm 333.
With Wang Ye seemingly quiet now, Lin Wu guessed he was engrossed in browsing the forum.
No one could resist the gossip on a campus forum—no one.
Since Wang Ye had drawn him in, Lin Wu decided to open Shushan Loushi as well.
The panic-filled posts on the forum had subsided lately. Most of the discussions were now about showcasing mutations, asking for help identifying what animal they might represent, or sharing how these changes were affecting their lives.
The top post, bumped up by new replies, had a rather dramatic title:
Topic: Am I a jerk for this?
Author: Mr. Crocodile
Content:
I’ve been with my girlfriend for three years (she’s from another university, so I won’t get into specifics to avoid being doxxed). We were each other’s first love, and our relationship has been very stable. We even planned to get married after graduation and settle in Shenyang.
But ever since my awakening, our differences have been growing. I’ve suddenly developed a love for swimming, while she’s developed a fear of water. I enjoy eating meat now, but she—who used to eat salads while dieting—has stopped dieting yet only eats leafy greens every meal. Personally, I prefer a girl with a bit of flesh on her, but now she’s gotten way too thin…
Based on all these changes, I suspect I’m a crocodile, and she’s a rabbit. With such different animal traits, we’re fundamentally incompatible.
Her personality has also changed lately. I really feel like we’re not suited for each other anymore. After much thought, I decided to break up. On the day we broke up, she was heartbroken and said she didn’t want to split. I felt bad too, but…
By the time Lin Wu reached the end, his teeth were practically grinding.
The guy kept describing how his girlfriend didn’t want to break up, how she tried to reconcile, while he was all decisive and noble, claiming he didn’t want to “waste her youth.” Finally, he smugly asked, “Does this make me a jerk?”
The post, made earlier that evening, only had five replies so far, and they made Lin Wu even angrier.
Reply 1: You weren’t married, so if it doesn’t work, breaking up is understandable. It’s a shame about the three years, but no one anticipated wild awakenings.
Reply 2: This is just the beginning. Differences will only grow. Better to end it sooner.
Reply 3: …
The replies were all annoyingly rational, analyzing the unavoidable conflicts caused by wild awakenings.
Unavoidable, my ass! Lin Wu thought furiously.
This was clearly a case of falling out of love and finding fault with everything the other person did. Why blame it on wild awakenings? And what personality changes? Bullshit! He hadn’t noticed anyone’s personality changing dramatically because of their awakening.
Seething with indignation, Lin Wu typed out a scathing reply full of condemnation and disdain. But when he hit send—it froze.
A quick refresh showed that the message hadn’t gone through.
Lin Wu: “…”
He hadn’t saved a draft either.
And yet, upon refreshing, a new reply had appeared below the post:
Reply 6:
Wang Ye – 509: Congrats to the rabbit.
Clicking on this user’s profile, Lin Wu saw it was a brand-new account registered just 15 minutes ago. The profile was blank, except for a profile picture: a game screenshot of Detective Mr. Deer with the caption, “Congrats! Detective Mr. Deer has perfectly caught the culprit!”
Lin Wu: “…”
He only solved that case once—and I was the one helping him!
For the rest of the night, Wang Ye – 509 behaved like a fish that had just discovered the ocean, joyfully swimming all over the forum.
Topic: Here’s my cute hamster. Hehe.
Wang Ye – 509: [Thumbs up emoji]
Topic: A cat outside my classroom attends lectures more seriously than I do. [Photo]
Wang Ye – 509: [Thumbs up emoji]
Topic: Zebra finches are so adorable, but I can only admire them online because I live in a dorm. [Photo]
Wang Ye – 509: [Thumbs up emoji]
Topic: Visited the Qipan Mountain Wildlife Park yesterday. Amazing experience.
Wang Ye – 509: [Thumbs up emoji]
Since posts with new replies would get bumped to the top, many night owls noticed the forum’s gossip board was suddenly flooded with old pet-themed posts being resurrected.
Lin Wu could understand browsing old threads after joining the forum, but he didn’t even want to know how Wang Ye managed to find those specific posts. Still—could you at least use a different emoji when replying?!
On the first night without nighttime outings, Lin Wu didn’t sleep a wink.
By the second, third, and fourth nights, though, he started noticing subtle changes in his body.
During the health check, the doctor had said Ren Feiyu’s weight loss would stabilize after the transformation period. Lin Wu suspected his nocturnal tendencies might follow a similar trajectory. Although he was still energetic at night, the restless urge to run around seemed to be gradually calming down.
It wasn’t gone, but it was manageable.
Over a week later, at around 3 a.m., Lin Wu actually fell asleep mid-conversation with Wang Ye.
The next evening, the first thing Wang Ye said was:
Wang Ye: Am I really that boring?
Lin Wu: …
Still, a good start was half the battle. Lin Wu now felt optimistic about fixing his sleep schedule.
Lin Wu: You should try too. Even if you can’t sleep, just close your eyes and clear your mind. You’ll get there eventually.
Fifteen minutes later:
Wang Ye: Tried. Didn’t work.
Lin Wu: Don’t dismiss it after just one attempt.
Wang Ye: Can’t clear my mind. The moment I close my eyes, my thoughts go everywhere.
Wang Ye: The only time my brain goes blank is during exams.
…And you’re proud of that?
Wang Ye: Sing me a song.
Lin Wu: ??
Wang Ye: Didn’t you say you feel like singing every night?
Lin Wu: The whole dorm is asleep, and you want me to sing?!
Wang Ye: Sing during the day, record it, and send it to me at night.
Lin Wu: [Am I repaying a debt from a past life.jpg]
Lin Wu: Wait, even if I send it to you, how would you listen at night? Isn’t someone uncomfortable unless they’re wearing headphones? [Side-eye.jpg]
Wang Ye: I am uncomfortable.
Lin Wu: So there’s your answer.
Wang Ye: But I can overcome it.
Lin Wu: …
The next night, Dorm 509.
Ge Liang woke up from a nightmare. In it, the December CET-4 exam, which had been canceled, was suddenly reinstated. Startled awake, he was still recovering from the shock when he noticed Wang Ye across the room, wearing headphones and listening to something.
Over the past few nights, Wang Ye had been chatting away every evening. Ge Liang knew it was with Lin Wu—Wang Ye’s limited circle of friends didn’t even extend to a fifth person.
But tonight, at this moment, under the faint light of Wang Ye’s phone screen, Ge Liang saw something unbelievable: Wang Ye was smiling.
Wang Ye, smiling!
After three years of observing him from afar in high school and a year and a half of proximity in college, the expression Ge Liang had seen most often on Wang Ye’s face was impatience. Even when he was calm, Wang Ye always carried an air of “hurry up, or I’ll punch you”.
Irritable Wang Ye. Rampaging Wang Ye. Violent Wang Ye. These three traits formed the unique aura that was Wang Ye.
It wasn’t as though Ge Liang had never seen Wang Ye smile, but most of the time, his smiles were taunting or mocking, as if saying, “Is that all?” or “You think you can manage?” or “Sure, give it a shot.”
When Wang Ye was genuinely happy, the most he’d do was brighten up his eyes, exuding a sudden burst of energy. But a smile like this—one so genuine that his lips couldn’t help but curl up—was almost unheard of.
Was he listening to stand-up comedy?
Fully awake now, Ge Liang decided to get up and head to the bathroom.
The moment he moved, Wang Ye looked over at him.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Ge Liang decided to ask directly, “What are you listening to?”
Wang Ye removed one earphone and replied, “Lin Wu singing.”
“…” For a moment, Ge Liang had no idea how to respond.
Yet under the moonlight, Wang Ye’s expression clearly said: Go on, keep asking.
Left with no choice, Ge Liang pushed through awkwardly, “Is it good?”
Wang Ye: “Terrible.”
Ge Liang: “…”
Wang Ye paused for a moment, as if savoring something, then suddenly grinned. “But the more I listen, the more addictive it gets.”
[mfn]If you enjoy my translations, you can show your support by leaving a comment or donating to my Ko-fi. It will be much appreciated. Thank you! -TL: YSIAD
⚠️ Do not copy or repost my translations. Please read exclusively on knoxt.space[/mfn]
😂😂😂 Lin Wu has an avid fan now