Chapter 5: Truth, friendship shattered!

Feng Yan and Chen Hao looked at the map in their hands, and he recalled the voice from the beginning on the square: "Whoever rules the Dream Continent or obtains the seven divine artifacts to restart the continent shall be deemed the victory condition, and the game ends." Then Feng Yan turned to ask Chen Hao: "What do you think would make this game more interesting?" "Restart the world, that way there would be a bit of motivation!" Chen Hao replied, and then they noticed their bodies had become transparent; they understood, the time had come.

Feng Yan took off his blindfold; the sky was already bright. He again recalled the words of those few people from yesterday, feeling suffocated in his heart and not knowing what to do. He got up, slowly got out of bed, washed up, and went to the classroom.

He returned to the classroom; the class monitor in charge of recording lateness, Zhang Xiaobo, saw him and found it strange. He looked at Feng Yan and showed a strange expression. Feng Yan asked him: "What's wrong?" "Strange," Zhang Xiaobo replied, "You came to class several minutes earlier than usual today." "Oh," Feng Yan answered, picking up his novel to read. Zhang Xiaobo watched, also saying nothing, then walked to the classroom door to prepare to record the other latecomers. Feng Yan's mind was in turmoil; he didn't know what to do, looking out the window at the construction site where the foundations had already been laid. He gave a bitter laugh, not knowing whether he was laughing at himself or at others. Finally, the bell rang, and morning reading began.

Chen Hao rushed over in a hurry, realizing there was no time left; the bell rang, he started running but was still a step late. He saw Zhang Xiaobo beginning to record lateness, ran over, only to hear Zhang Xiaobo say to him: "Hurry up, if you don't get into class I'll really mark you down."

Chen Hao entered the classroom, returned to his seat, saw Feng Yan, first startled, then directly said: "Can't you call me?" Feng Yan made no sound, he looked at the Chinese textbook, didn't open his mouth, and gave no verbal response. Chen Hao found it strange; normally Feng Yan, though somewhat honest, would not fail to reply when someone spoke to him, so he asked: "What's wrong?" Feng Yan turned his head, his eyes full of sorrow, he slowly said: "She has a boyfriend now, it's him, my former best friend." Chen Hao's heart jolted; for a moment he didn't know what to say, yet he still said: "First recite the text, the class representative will spot-check." "Mm," Feng Yan replied after hearing it, but still did not read aloud, then opened the passage to be recited, instantly raising his voice, his voice startled the classmates, after which they continued reading, everything returned to calm. Chen Hao saw his action, everything became clear—who hasn't gone crazy for a while? Chen Hao looked at Feng Yan, his eyes full of helplessness, seeing himself in Feng Yan's behavior: "Looks, I'm also a foolish lad," Chen Hao cast a sympathetic glance at Feng Yan, watching his frantic, even manic behavior, knowing his voice could no longer produce sound.

Feng Yan finally stopped, he took out a water cup, raised his hand, and summoned the class monitor Zhang Xiaobo (during morning reading one cannot leave one's seat), using his hoarse voice he told the monitor: "Please get me a cup of water." The monitor listened to his voice, wanting to ask something, but Chen Hao spoke up to stop him, Chen Hao told the monitor: "Don't ask, don't ask anything." Chen Hao nodded, the monitor understood, went straight to fetch a cup of water for him, and also gave him a slice of watermelon-frost medicine tablet; Feng Yan drank the water, then held the tablet in his mouth, after which he felt better and finally stopped reciting. At that moment the Chinese teacher entered, saw Feng Yan not opening his mouth to read, wanted to call on him to recite from the textbook, the monitor blocked the teacher and explained the situation; then the teacher stood before Feng Yan, Feng Yan rose to his seat, waiting for the teacher to spot-check his recitation, but instead discovered the teacher gave him a sheet of paper, she said: "Copy it from memory, the monitor said your throat is uncomfortable, do you know what to copy from memory?" "I know, I learned it in middle school, 'Fish is what I desire,'" Feng Yan replied. "Hmm," the teacher replied, "Then hurry up." After saying that, the teacher went to spot-check others.

Feng Yan gradually finished copying the text, while copying from memory he thought: "What is the true intention?" He had no answer, he felt anguished, he did not consider Yang Xin a friend, he recalled Yang Xin's question to him: "What is she to you?" Even that faint smile seemed to be mocking Feng Yan, Feng Yan finally finished copying the text from memory. Feng Yan left his seat and handed the paper to the teacher; the teacher glanced at it, took it, first felt surprised, then asked: "Did you write this yourself?" "Don't believe me, teacher can watch me write it again," Feng Yan replied in that hoarse voice, "All right, go back," the teacher said; Feng Yan slowly walked back, the short distance to his seat felt especially long, the teacher's gaze full of distrust, and he himself was like that, Feng Yan gave a self-mocking chuckle, and returned to his seat.

After returning to his seat, Chen Hao asked him: "You can do it?" "How? Very surprising," Feng Yan said, "I just don't want to be, let them think whatever they like." Chen Hao again asked: "What exactly is the matter?"

Feng Yan let out a long sigh: "That person of hers, I know who it is—it's him." Chen Hao remained silent, he understood what that meant; Feng Yan and Chen Hao both found it hard to act, Chen Hao asked him: "What should we do?" "Let's have him come out and talk first; some things need to be clarified." "Should I go with you?" "Would he dare come out if there are many people?" Feng Yan asked him; they both stayed silent, waiting for class to start.

Thus Feng Yan finished writing the thing, had Chen Hao deliver it; because his homeroom teacher was in the class, Chen Hao got scolded, Chen Hao clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, endured it, until Yang Xin came out; Chen Hao stopped him, saying: "Feng Yan has something to say to you." "Can I avoid going?" Yang Xin said; Chen Hao clenched his fists again, he tried to suppress his inner anger, after long contemplation he calmly said: "This might be the last time you speak to him as a friend." Chen Hao handed him the item in his hand; upon opening it, his heart first jolted, thinking: "What was meant to come has indeed come......"

Thus it went on until noon dismissal; after Feng Yan finished his meal, he sat cross-legged with eyes tightly closed, waiting for Yang Xin's arrival. When he heard that familiar voice, Feng Yan opened his eyes, saw Yang Xin, and said to him: "You've come, really hard to invite." Yang Xin heard this and remained silent; Feng Yan continued: "Shouldn't you tell me about your progress with her, O great lover of romance?" Feng Yan said calmly; Yang Xin looked at Feng Yan, his expression unreadable—whether guilt or shame—after a few seconds of thought, he finally said: "I should have told you earlier." Hearing this, Feng Yan burst out laughing, saying: "Should have? You shouldn't have told me; keep yourself in the dark, treating me as a fool!" Upon hearing those words, Yang Xin was about to speak, but Feng Yan's next sentence cut him off: "All along I've treated you as a good friend, the best! And you—do you regard me as a fool? I've known all along; I've been waiting for you to speak directly, yet time and again you deceived me—no one is a fool!" Yang Xin's face flushed red, he lowered his head, and after a long while managed to say: "I think you are my best friend; I fear that because of this we won't be able to remain friends." "I suppose that's what you wanted after all," Feng Yan said coldly, becoming unusually calm, slowly walking away, and before leaving he said: "As you wish, we will no longer be friends from now on." Feng Yan departed; Yang Xin remained standing there, seeing Feng Yan off, watching his back gradually disappear, his heart also in turmoil; he wanted to preserve this friendship, had kept it secret all along, also afraid, knowing lies would eventually be exposed, yet the arrival of this day instead eased his mind somewhat; thus he also left, thinking: "If we are not friends, then in the game let us be opponents."

Feng Yan returned to the classroom, his heart vexed, the game not yet over; that thing was left in his backpack, never taken out. When Saturday came and school was not dismissed, at after-school when everyone went out to play, he went out alone for a stroll and saw the scene he least wanted to see: Yang Xin together with Wang Mu, Yang Xin lowering his head to ask her what she wanted, then looking up and seeing Feng Yan, he showed a smile. Feng Yan immediately turned back toward the school, returned to the class; his heart burned like flames. He took out paper and pen, wrote a poem, smashed the glass cup Yang Xin had given him, picked up the sharpest shard, and headed straight for Yang Xin's dormitory. Feng Yan gripped the shard tightly with his right hand, fiercely stabbed the paper and shard into the bedboard, heedless of the blood flowing from his hand and the pain, and walked away without looking back.

Yang Xin returned to the dormitory, saw the dried bloodstains on the bed, and also looked at the broken glass and note stuck in the bedboard; he already knew who it was. Yang Xin opened the note and saw that a poem was written on it:

One morning, upon deciding on a direction, inevitably troubled by love.

At sunset, friends contend in strife, laughing as they watch who wins today.

Yang Xin gave a bitter smile: "Not only are we enemies in the game, but in reality we can no longer be ordinary friends."