Lin Wu eventually found a budget hotel.
Since it was winter and guests were scarce, the hotel thoughtfully upgraded him to a high-floor river-view room, saying he could enjoy a breathtaking view of the river from his window.
Lin Wu was tempted by the idea. Fighting off his drowsiness, he eagerly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window upon entering the room.
There was a river view—just a bit far away.
His line of sight had to weave through the gaps between numerous high-rise buildings before he could catch a glimpse of the distant, faintly visible river surface.
Not that he had come for the view anyway.
After a quick shower, Lin Wu collapsed onto the bed and finally surrendered himself to deep sleep.
When he woke up, it was already night.
Moonlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling window, an irresistible temptation.
Lin Wu checked out of the hotel and walked all the way to the riverside park. This time, he could enjoy the river view as much as he pleased—from any angle, however he wanted. He could even slide across the ice if he felt like it.
Of course, Lin Wu wasn’t planning to be that reckless. If a patch of ice wasn’t solidly frozen and he ended up falling into the icy water, that would be a real problem.
The park stretched along the river, vast in size, with rolling expanses of grass that gently undulated with the terrain. The outer edges were lined with dense trees, beneath which a cycling path and a pedestrian walkway extended into the distance.
During warmer seasons, many people came here to stroll or ride bikes. On weekends, some even pitched tents.
But in winter, especially at night, the park was nearly deserted.
The night was deep, and the cold wind cut like a blade.
Lin Wu pulled his thick down jacket tighter around himself and walked along a secluded path by the riverbank. His boots crunched over the patchy snow, his steps taking him across frostbitten grass and through low, bare shrubs.
The surroundings were silent. Apart from the wind howling past his ears, the only sounds were occasional rustlings among the grass and trees—sometimes a quick, light scurry, like a wild cat darting past, sometimes small and fragmented, like a mouse or another tiny creature moving about.
Lin Wu could easily distinguish these sounds.
It was a gift from his awakened jungle wolf genes—sharp hearing.
He also had a slight “cold resistance” trait, something he only acquired after awakening.
It gave him more courage than most nocturnal species to wander by the river on a winter night.
Where were the other night roamers of this city?
Lin Wu figured that even if they were awake, they were probably curled up indoors, unwilling to face the bitter cold…
The sound of music suddenly drifted through the night breeze, interrupting Lin Wu’s thoughts.
He paused for a moment, then stepped off the path, trudging through the shrubs as he followed the source of the sound.
It led him to the park square.
The streetlights were dim, and the music had been lowered to a volume that wouldn’t disturb anyone, but the aunts dancing in formation were completely unfazed. If anything, the quiet night made their movements seem even more energetic.
Lin Wu finally caught the rhythm of the song:
“Flowers dancing~ Willows swaying~ Under this starry sky~ Let’s all dance together~~”
So, he had assumed that anyone who couldn’t sleep would just stay curled up in their rooms to avoid the cold?
He had been too quick to judge.
Using the dance formation as his starting point, Lin Wu continued forward, and the night gradually came alive.
The elderly men, unable to keep up with the dance moves, opted to play chess under the dim lights, their flashlights illuminating the board. Meanwhile, some men—who had probably awakened particularly fierce beast genes—chose to dive straight into the river, where the water was still flowing and hadn’t frozen over, beginning their winter swim.
Lin Wu was amazed. Now this was true night wandering.
When he left the park and returned to the streets, most shops still had their signs brightly lit. Upon closer inspection, he realized that many stores that used to close at night had now switched to 24-hour operations.
He also noticed a job posting in front of a store:
“Now hiring night shift staff. Salary negotiable. Good appearance and demeanor preferred. Night-active species preferred.”
The phrase “night-active species” had been seamlessly integrated into the job requirements, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
So, would job hunting after graduation also be categorized by species?
Would different employers set their hiring criteria based on the species traits that best suited their job roles?
For the first time, Lin Wu, still a sophomore in college, started thinking about his future employment prospects.
After wandering around all night, the sleep schedule he had carefully adjusted was now completely ruined. By the time he got back to his apartment, it was already morning. Lin Chuan and his friends had left, and the place wasn’t as messy as last time.
Lin Wu tidied up a bit, and just as he was about to open the window for some fresh air, his phone buzzed.
He assumed it was someone chatting in the dorm group—after all, at this hour, Wang Ye should still be deep in a dream, probably pouncing on imaginary prey.
But when he picked up his phone, he saw it wasn’t from the group chat.
Mom: Are your finals over?
Lin Wu sat down on the couch and replied:
Lin Wu: The exams got canceled. We’re already on break.
Mom: Already on break? Then this Saturday, let’s have dinner together. We’ll go to your favorite restaurant.
Lin Wu stared at the screen for a long moment before replying:
Lin Wu: Okay.
Every break, his parents would each take him out for a meal—this had become a set routine, as if having that one meal was enough to count as maintaining their relationship.
He used to look forward to these meals. But eventually, he realized—it was just a meal.
Ding-dong.
Just as he put his phone down, it buzzed again.
He picked it up, thinking his mom had something else to say.
But—
Wang Ye: [Can’t sleep. Come party.jpg]
Lin Wu was amused by the meme:
Lin Wu: It’s broad daylight. Party for what?
Wang Ye: You’re really still up?
Lin Wu: Aren’t you?
Wang Ye: Slept too much during the day yesterday.
Lin Wu: …
Wang Ye: [Photo]
Lin Wu had never seen Wang Ye post a photo before. Curious, he clicked on it.
It was a selfie of Wang Ye in someone’s yard, hugging an Alaskan Malamute.
To be precise, he was enthusiastically wrapping his arm around the dog’s neck. The majestic Malamute seemed quite familiar with him but was clearly resisting—its paw firmly pressed against Wang Ye’s face, as if pushing him away with all its might.
Lin Wu burst out laughing and typed:
Lin Wu: Whose dog did you force into cuddling this time?
Wang Ye: What do you mean “whose”? It’s my Wang Wang.
Owning a dog wasn’t surprising, but—
Lin Wu: …Wang Wang?
Wang Ye: [Everyone knows cats are “Meow Meow” and dogs are “Wang Wang”.jpg]
Lin Wu: That’s such a handsome Malamute. Can’t you give him a proper name?
Wang Ye: Jacob.
Lin Wu hadn’t expected that.
He vaguely remembered a werewolf character named Jacob from some foreign vampire movie. Just as he was about to say it was a pretty cool name, Wang Ye sent another message—
Wang Ye: Someone else named him that. I don’t like it.
If Wang Ye said he didn’t like something, then that meant he absolutely didn’t like it—no room for discussion. He never hid his likes or dislikes.
Lin Wu naturally took his side, silently apologizing to the handsome Alaskan Malamute: “Wang Wang sounds great.”
Wang Ye: Right? [Smug look, you still wanna argue with me.jpg]
Lin Wu: [You are the truth shining upon us.jpg]
He retaliated with a meme, but the smile on his lips only grew wider.
That foggy day, when he was sitting on top of the wall, he never would have imagined that he’d become this kind of friend with the guy below who had once said, “I don’t like people.”
Some things you wait for forever and never get.
Some things you never expect—come crashing in like a storm.
Saturday.
Beiyuan Restaurant was the most popular spot on the street, specializing in Northeastern cuisine. Their guobaorou was unmatched in both taste and texture.
Lin Wu and his mother sat in a pre-booked private room, eating in silence as dish after dish was served.
Every now and then, his mother would pick food for him, saying, “You like this.”
And then… that was it.
The air was so stiflingly quiet that even the servers bringing in the food felt uncomfortable—but the two of them had long since grown used to it.
Today, his mother was wearing a sapphire blue wool sweater.
Lin Wu stole a glance at her. The color suited her well, making her complexion look vibrant.
She had been beautiful in her youth, and even now, she looked younger than others her age.
Suddenly, curiosity struck him. “Mom, what’s your awakened species?”
The unexpected question made his mother pause. Then she answered, “Jackal.”
The meal lasted less than an hour before it was over.
Outside the restaurant, they parted ways—one going east, the other west.
Lin Wu had barely walked past one street when his phone rang.
Dad: “Lin Chuan told me you’re back on break. Why didn’t you tell me? Let’s have lunch tomorrow, just the two of us. We’ll go to your favorite place… what was it again? Oh right, Beiyuan Restaurant!”
Lin Wu: “……”
Sunday.
Across from Beiyuan Restaurant, inside a small convenience store.
Ge Liang sat idly at the cashier’s counter. After ringing up a customer buying water, he wandered to the store entrance, looking at the restaurant across the street.
That restaurant was always bustling, and since he was managing his family’s store these days, he sometimes called in an order, then walked over to pick it up—no need to waste money on delivery when it was just a few steps away.
But right now, with his arms crossed, he wasn’t thinking about food. Instead, he was pondering over something strange—he had seen the same classmate enter that restaurant two days in a row, each time with a different person.
Yesterday, it was a pretty lady.
Today, it was a sharp-looking middle-aged man.
And Lin Wu? He was wearing the same down jacket both days—making him incredibly easy to recognize.
Ge Liang wasn’t particularly close to Lin Wu, but he knew Wang Ye and Lin Wu were tight. Since he was bored anyway, he decided to gossip a bit and sent Wang Ye a voice message on WeChat.
The call rang for a long time before it was finally picked up. On the other end, Wang Ye sounded groggy and annoyed. “What do you want?”
Shit. He forgot Wang Ye was nocturnal.
Ge Liang quickly said, “Nothing, nothing. Go back to sleep.”
Wang Ye hated people who started talking but didn’t finish. “Say it already.”
“It’s nothing major,” Ge Liang regretted this so much, “I just saw Lin Wu…”
“Lin Wu?” Wang Ye suddenly woke up a little. “Where?”
“At that restaurant across from my convenience store. He’s been there two days in a row—yesterday with a woman, today with a man.”
“What did they look like?”
“Around forty, maybe fifty. They seem like his parents. But yesterday, when he left the restaurant, he looked pretty down.”
“Did he just go in?”
“Yeah, I just saw him walk in.”
“Does he look happy today?”
“Didn’t get a good look, but he didn’t seem cheerful either.”
“Wait for me.”
“Huh? Wait for what—?”
Half an hour later.
From afar, Ge Liang saw a blue shared bike speeding towards him like a bullet, cutting through the winter air like a streak of blue fire.
Instinctively, he stepped back inside the store—just in case he got hit.
With a sharp brake, the bike screeched to a stop in front of the store.
That’s when Ge Liang finally got a clear look at Wang Ye.
He was wearing a biker-style jacket, which explained why he managed to make a bicycle look like a high-speed motorcycle.
But—
“Didn’t your mom just get you an off-road vehicle?” Ge Liang had been hoping to get a ride in the new car. Why the hell was he riding a bicycle instead?
“It got scratched,” Wang Ye got off the bike. “Didn’t even get to drive it, had to send it back to the shop for repainting.”
“Scratched the moment you got it?” Ge Liang winced in sympathy. But then something didn’t add up. “Wait a sec. Doesn’t your family have a private garage? How did it get scratched before you even drove it—?”
Mid-sentence, realization dawned on him.
He looked at Wang Ye with a complicated expression. “…Your little brother again?”
“Caught the little brat red-handed while he was scratching it,” Wang Ye cracked his knuckles, his fingers stiff from the cold wind.
“And? You beat him up?”
Wang Ye shot him a look. “What, leave him alone till New Year’s?”
“Not just a beating? I feel like one round isn’t enough!” Ge Liang was about to explode. “That was a brand-new car! And all he got was a beating? You’re still at a loss here!”
“Oh.” Wang Ye thought about it and nodded. “After I beat him up, I made him take a knife and scratch his own Porsche. Had to match the damage on my off-roader exactly, down to the last line. No less.”
Ge Liang: “……”
Dude.
Your little brother keeps provoking you and keeps getting destroyed worse each time.
What is he even trying to accomplish?
There was no such thing as Wang Ye swallowing his anger.
Forgiveness was God’s job.
Ye Ge was only responsible for sending you to meet God.
