In his mind, scenes of the two of them together flickered one after another.

She was the first reader to gift him an Alliance Hierarch reward. She then joined the readers’ group, where they got to know each other, and later added each other as QQ friends, chatting online just like anyone else. This continued until he arrived in Modu, where they met for the first time after he started college. From that moment on, sparks flew between them.

Li Yuan leaned against the bed, dazed. His mind was flooded with the sight and sound of Jiang Zhiyu, his heart aching with a regret he couldn’t shake.

After a long while, Li Yuan finally regained his composure. When a thought suddenly struck him, he began rummaging frantically around the suite. Finally, he found a piece of paper under a vase on the living room coffee table.

Li Yuan’s heart jolted. With trembling hands, he moved the vase aside and retrieved the paper pressed beneath it. His hands still shook as he unfolded the paper, revealing rows of delicate, feminine handwriting.

It’s from Little Fish! Li Yuan thought, his gaze falling upon the words she had left behind...

*Xia Hua, I’m sorry, but I’ve chosen to leave!*

*I have no regrets about knowing you or about anything we experienced together. They are all beautiful memories that I will cherish in my heart forever...*

*I’m sorry, Xia Hua. I just didn’t have the courage to say goodbye to you in person. I was afraid I’d cry—and I’m already crying now!*

Li Yuan looked at the teardrop stains on the paper. The delicate characters were slightly blurred, the ink bleeding where the tears had soaked through.

Without realizing it, tears began to stream from the corners of his own eyes, splashing onto the mahogany table with soft PLIPS. He seemed oblivious as he continued to read.

*Xia Hua, I’m leaving Modu, but I promise you, I won’t go abroad.*

*Don’t come looking for me. Just let me watch over you silently from somewhere else, until the day I can finally bury these feelings deep within my heart...*

*By the way, Xia Hua, you don’t need to worry about the threats from Qin Hao and his group. I also hope you can live a happy life and go achieve your dreams!*

*——Forever yours, Little Fish, 2008.10.15*

After reading Jiang Zhiyu’s farewell message, Li Yuan felt a profound sense of loss. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks, completely unnoticed.

He murmured to himself, "Little Fish, why are you so foolish? It’s not worth it, not for a scumbag like me."

"Perhaps I should never have added you as a QQ friend in the first place. If I hadn’t, you would have remained that carefree, lively, and lovable angel, instead of being so deeply hurt by a scumbag like me today..."

Li Yuan read Jiang Zhiyu’s farewell letter again and again, etching every single word into his memory. After a long time, he reluctantly tore his eyes away and carefully put the letter away.

He took out his phone and opened QQ. Jiang Zhiyu’s profile picture had gone dark, and her QQ space was no longer accessible.

Li Yuan sighed, found Jiang Zhiyu’s mobile number, and tried to call. An automated voice answered, "We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later..."

He called ten times in a row, each with the same result, and his spirits hit rock bottom.

He’d had a premonition about her decision last night, but he never expected her to be so decisive. She had her coming-of-age ceremony just last night, and she was already gone this morning, without even giving him a chance for a proper goodbye...

Li Yuan opened his message thread with Jiang Zhiyu. He hesitated for a long time before slowly typing out a reply.

"Little Fish, I’m so sorry. I hope we can meet again someday... Your one and only ’Xia Hua,’ 2008.10.15..."

He hit send. Li Yuan clutched his phone, a sliver of hope lingering in his heart, but as time passed, no reply came.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Li Yuan’s heart leaped, and he scrambled to answer, but his hopes plummeted when he saw the caller ID. It was Lin Yuwei.

Li Yuan answered the phone, his shoulders slumping with disappointment. Lin Yuwei’s anxious yet expectant voice came from the other end.

"Boss, it’s nine o’clock. It’s time for the Zhihu website to officially go live. Everyone is in position and just waiting for your order."

Hearing Lin Yuwei’s words, Li Yuan finally snapped back to reality. Today, at nine in the morning, was the launch time for Datang Technology Company’s first product: the Zhihu website.

Li Yuan felt disoriented. Though only one night had passed, it felt like an eternity. He composed himself, trying his best not to sound unusual.

"Group Leader Lin, proceed as scheduled."

"You got it, Boss! Wait for our good news," Lin Yuwei replied with a laugh. Suddenly, she remembered Li Yuan had said he wanted to personally oversee the Zhihu website launch from the office and couldn’t help but add, "Boss, are you coming to the office to oversee things now?"

Li Yuan froze for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I’ll be there in a bit."

Lin Yuwei could tell something was wrong from his tone. "Boss, are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I’m fine," Li Yuan said flatly.

"Oh. Well, I’ll hang up then. As soon as it hits nine, I’ll give the order to officially launch the Zhihu website," Lin Yuwei replied.