Before he knew it, Lin Wu had curled up on the sofa watching TV late into the night. When he finally thought about whether he should go to bed, he glanced at the clock—1:30 AM already.
It was only the first day of vacation, and despite having just adjusted his schedule, it was already showing signs of collapsing.
He hurriedly turned off the TV and went to bed.
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
2:00 AM—still awake.
2:30 AM—still not asleep.
3:00 AM—Lin Wu finally opened his eyes and gave up.
The curtains had been pulled open while tidying up earlier in the day and were never closed again.
At this moment, the outside world was glowing with colorful neon lights, and the stars shone brightly.
Without the pressure of attending classes during the day, the restless energy that longed for the night seemed to resurface in his body.
Following his instincts, Lin Wu got out of bed, walked over, and opened the window.
The winter night wind rushed in, biting like a knife, instantly numbing his face.
From body to soul, he was jolted awake. He quickly shut the window with a sharp snap.
After all, he wasn’t a real wolf. And even if he were, the bitter cold of nearly -20°C in the Northeast would still be brutal.
But that brief blast of night air made every pore on his body feel like it had opened up—cold, yes, but also exhilarating.
Standing by the window, he finally saw the moon.
It was a first-quarter moon tonight, half illuminated, half shrouded in darkness. The bright side shone even more brilliantly, while the dark side blended seamlessly into the night sky.
Yet Lin Wu felt as if he could see the faint outline of the hidden half. To him, this so-called half-moon was still a whole—its dark side just as distinct as its bright one.
Without realizing it, he started humming an old Hong Kong-Taiwan song about wolves. As the deep and distant melody flowed, he felt as if he had truly become a lone wolf, wandering through a vast and desolate wilderness.
Ding-dong.
His unsilenced phone chimed from the bed, breaking his second song before it could even begin.
Wang Ye: You home yet?
Seeing the message, Lin Wu wanted to personally escort Wang Ye to the wilderness he had just been lost in.
Lin Wu: Dear classmate, it is currently 3:11 AM.
Wang Ye: Guess that means you made it home.
Lin Wu: Theoretically, not only should I be home, but I should also be asleep—peacefully and sweetly!
Wang Ye: Sweetly, yet you’re still replying to my texts.
Lin Wu: …
Wang Ye: Can’t sleep, huh?
Wang Ye: Pacing around the room?
Wang Ye: Or staring at the moon and singing again?
Lin Wu: …
Wang Ye: Oh, so you are singing.
Wang Ye: Don’t sing to the moon. Sing to me.
Lin Wu: You can’t sleep either?
Wang Ye: Either?
Lin Wu: Fine, you win. I just can’t sleep. No idea why—my schedule was fine at school, but the moment I came back, it fell apart.
Wang Ye: If you can sleep, sleep. If you can’t, don’t. Why overthink it?
Lin Wu: Don’t pretend to be all carefree. If you weren’t struggling to sleep too, why ask me to sing?
Wang Ye: Your singing has many functions.
Lin Wu: ?
Wang Ye: If I want to sleep, it’s a lullaby. If I don’t want to sleep, it’s a pick-me-up.
Lin Wu: … Keep it up, and I’ll block you.
Wang Ye: [What gave you the courage to defy me—Pangu himself?.jpg]
Lin Wu was utterly defeated.
Wang Ye’s arsenal was stacked with a five-layered armor of “aura + attitude + charisma + hairstyle + reaction memes,” crushing all in his path—unstoppable and unbeatable.
However—
[If you can sleep, sleep. If you can’t, then don’t. Why make such a big deal out of it?]
Looking back at that message again, Lin Wu smirked. He was right—it’s vacation! Sleep or don’t sleep, who cares!
Shulin Riverside.
A villa district nestled in the busiest part of the city, quiet amidst the chaos, following the most vibrant stretch of the river.
Wang Ye sat on the third-floor balcony of his bedroom, wearing only a thin jacket, yet he didn’t feel cold.
Tree shadows lined the riverbank, and the moonlight reflected off the frozen surface, coating it in a layer of shimmering silver.
Finally, after a few minutes of silence on WeChat, tonight’s single arrived. The song title was just one word—Wolf.
Wang Ye tapped play on the voice message.
Lin Wu’s voice floated through the night—
“I am a wolf from the North~~ Walking through the boundless wilderness~~”
As always, the song was intoxicating.
Ten minutes later.
Wang Ye: Another one.
The little singer, Lin Wu, was probably fully in the zone by now. Without hesitation, he sent over a new song. A different tune, but the title remained the same—Wolf.
“I fear when the full moon rises~~ With a single turn, a fleeting moment, I lose all control~~”
It was an energetic song, no doubt. But Wang Ye wasn’t satisfied.
Wang Ye: Why are they all about wolves?
Wang Ye: Give me a tiger. [King of Beasts’ Roar.jpg]
Lin Jukebox Wu, always happy to oblige:
“Two tigers, two tigers~~”
Wang Ye: Are you trying to shorten the night or prolong your life?
Lin Wu: Wow, this time, no meme reply? [New Discovery.jpg]
Wang Ye: …
Lin Wu: Alright, alright, I’ll give you a proper golden classic.
Fifteen minutes later.
The Dynamic Lightwave song arrived.
“Ask who rules the tides~ A man never admits defeat in life~ Standing tall with integrity~ Fierce like a tiger~~”
Wang Ye: “……”
One night. Two people chatting. Four classic songs. Eight different vibes.
Lin Wu kept talking with Wang Ye until morning, until the sun rose high and bright.
The city awakened. The streets outside bustled to life.
Lin Wu finally yawned and told Wang Ye that he was done chatting and was going to sleep.
But just as he wrapped things up, someone in the 333 group was already up.
aaa Li Junchi: [photo] [photo] [photo]
Lin Wu seamlessly switched to the 333 chat group and opened the photos, only to see Li Junchi rolling around in the snow, covering himself completely in it, then taking a few selfies where his teeth were even whiter than the snow.
Lin Wu: So handsome it’s blurry. 👍
aaa Li Junchi: Whoa, you’re up pretty early.
Lin Wu: …Are you complimenting me or yourself?
aaa Li Junchi: I’m just excited, seriously! I’m on the mountain right now!
Li Junchi’s hometown was a place of breathtaking scenery—waves of wheat in summer, frozen rivers in winter, wildflowers blanketing the mountains in spring, and falling leaves in the autumn forests.
aaa Li Junchi: I’ve been sprinting all the way up here, it feels amazing! I even shouted from the mountaintop just now, haha!
aaa Li Junchi: The school track doesn’t even come close!
Lin Wu: Yeah, I can totally feel your excitement hitting me in the face.
aaa Li Junchi: Sigh, at school, I just feel like I run faster than before, nothing else.
aaa Li Junchi: But now that I’m back, I realize I’ve really changed.
aaa Li Junchi: Take this mountain behind the village, for example. I got sick of it ages ago, haven’t set foot on it since high school, never even felt like going. But today, running up the mountain made me so happy, so free—like this is what I was meant to do, like I should be running wild through the hills without a care in the world.
Lin Wu: Then just run. I want to go to the wilderness and howl like a wolf, but I can’t even find a place to do it.
aaa Li Junchi: But what if I keep feeling like this even after I go back to school? What do I do?
Lin Wu: You’re overthinking. You’re just excited because it’s the start of break. Once you’ve had your fill of running wild, you’ll calm down.
aaa Li Junchi: I’m just afraid I’ll actually turn into a horse.
Lin Wu: Not happening.
aaa Li Junchi: But scientists haven’t even figured out how wild instincts awaken. How can you be so sure?
Lin Wu: I don’t know about wild instincts, but I’m sure about you.
aaa Li Junchi: ?
Lin Wu: [Red envelope]
aaa Li Junchi claimed your red envelope.
aaa Li Junchi: Wait, only one yuan?
aaa Li Junchi: And why are you even sending me a red envelope?
Lin Wu: If you didn’t know, why did you grab it so fast?
aaa Li Junchi: If you don’t snatch a red envelope, what’s the point of having a brain?
Lin Wu: Exactly. So relax—you and your so-called awakening are separated by an unbridgeable gap.
Lin Wu: Horses love grass, you love money.
aaa Li Junchi: …Hearing your words is better than reading ten years’ worth of books.
Feeling reassured, Li Junchi continued running. Lin Wu originally planned to wait for the other guys to wake up and chat for a bit, but as he waited, he ended up dozing off, hugging his blanket.
Until he was startled awake by the sound of the door opening.
Maybe it was the lingering unease from the mess yesterday, but as soon as he vaguely heard the fingerprint lock’s voice prompt through the door—”Welcome home”—he snapped his eyes open and sat up straight in bed like a fish flipping out of water.
Then came the actual sound of the door unlocking and turning open.
A middle school boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old, strolled in with a group of friends of the same age, not even bothering to change their shoes. Aside from the one leading the group, each of them was carrying a big bag of snacks or drinks.
It was only after they came in that they noticed someone was on the bed. The chatter and laughter stopped instantly.
The air suddenly fell silent.
The boy in the branded down jacket, who was leading the group, stood there staring at Lin Wu in shock. He was stunned for a good while before finally regaining his senses and calling out, “Ge…”
Seeing how familiar they were with the place, and recalling the mess from yesterday, Lin Wu quickly put two and two together.
With the freezing cold of the holiday season, kids didn’t like running around outside. Finding a spot to gather and go wild behind closed doors was the most comfortable option.
“I didn’t hear from Dad that you’d be back…” The boy—Lin Chuan, Lin Wu’s younger half-brother—looked a little lost.
“No big deal,” Lin Wu replied with an easygoing smile. He got out of bed and started folding his blanket. “I was planning to go out today anyway. You guys can have fun here.”
Lin Chuan let out a breath of relief, his grin widening, his voice suddenly much more cheerful. “Thanks, Ge!”
Lin Wu quickly finished getting dressed and left the apartment to the kids.
The security door opened and shut again.
Once Lin Wu was gone, the friends who had kept completely silent the whole time finally gathered around Lin Chuan and asked, “Who was that? Your real brother?”
“He’s my dad’s kid with that woman from before,” Lin Chuan said nonchalantly as he rummaged for the gaming console. “Where’s the Switch? Who’s got it?”
Some of the kids, feeling a bit guilty for taking over the place, hesitated before asking, “Is this his place, or your dad’s?”
“Obviously my dad’s,” Lin Chuan answered, skillfully connecting the Switch to the TV. “He’s just staying here for now.”
“So… can we still pull an all-nighter like last time?”
Lin Chuan: “Of course.”
“What if he comes back tonight?”
Lin Chuan: “I’ll just sweet-talk him a bit. He’s soft-hearted—begging works every time.”
“Man, why are you so scared? Isn’t this your dad’s place?”
Lin Chuan: “Yeah, but my dad let him stay here. He didn’t think he’d actually come back, so he let me use it. If I go overboard, my dad’s gonna scold me.”
“Should we start looking for another hangout spot?”
“Probably.” Lin Chuan sat cross-legged on the floor, propping his chin up as he watched the game screen gradually come into focus on the TV.
Why did college students have to get winter break too? So annoying.
The sunlight was just right.
The winter sun didn’t bring much warmth, but as long as you could see it, it felt like it could chase away some of the cold inside.
“Welcome!”
The morning shift at the convenience store had changed. The new cashier was a young guy with glasses, but he was just as friendly.
Lin Wu ordered a few skewers of oden and asked the guy to add extra hot soup, then carried his tray over to a window-side table and sat down alone.
He was exhausted.
So before he finished his oden, he needed to figure out where to crash for a nap.
