Looking at the relentless wind and rain outside that wouldn’t let up anytime soon, Ling Cheng sent his message and turned on his computer.
He had installed a few games on his office computer that he’d made back in high school using an open-source editor he found online.
Playing them slowly on a stormy night was a nice way to reminisce about his youthful days.
Sitting beside Ling Cheng, sipping her coffee, Yun Ziyu also noticed the game he was playing.
“Is this game… Dimension Brawl?” To Ling Cheng’s surprise, Yun Ziyu actually recognized it.
This game was just a fan project he’d made in high school using anime resources he found online, with zero popularity.
In a situation like this, he’d actually found a kindred spirit?
Ling Cheng couldn’t help but ask excitedly, “You’ve played this game too?”
“Yeah, it was probably my favorite game in high school.” Yun Ziyu gave a faint smile, her thoughts drifting back to her senior year of high school.
During her senior year, she was a plain girl with average grades who didn’t know how to dress up.
After her best friend left for dance training, she suddenly became completely isolated.
To many adults, spending a lonely senior year might not seem like a big deal.
Just no one to whisper to, eating alone, going to the bathroom alone—things like that.
But for an introverted, sensitive girl already on edge from the academic pressure of her final year, this loneliness only intensified her internal torment and anxiety.
During that time, she slept less and less. Facing the heavy academic workload and her parents’ expectations, she felt a deep sense of confusion from within.
Yun Ziyu couldn’t help but wonder, what was the point of all this exhaustion? She had no vision of a better life, no dream she desperately wanted to fulfill.
She started suffering from insomnia during that period, even losing control over her appetite. She could only find a moment of peace while eating, but the bitterness in her heart only grew stronger.
As a result, her weight skyrocketed from just over 100 pounds to 120 pounds, and that surge in weight only made her more sensitive and self-conscious.
One night while staying up late, she discovered a fan game that supported online play, featuring a large number of anime characters, including her favorite.
She tentatively joined a room, and to her surprise, she ran into the game’s creator.
The creator patiently taught her how to play, gradually helping Yun Ziyu discover the fun of the game. From then on, they would regularly arrange times to play together.
As time passed, Yun Ziyu began to open up to this sole “friend,” sharing her troubles.
Things like how her former best friend barely talked to her after going off to training; how she often had insomnia and dreamed of falling; how her grades kept dropping and she felt so lost…
To her surprise, those weak confessions were fully accepted, and the other person even typed out thoughtful words to comfort her.
When he found out Yun Ziyu was a senior, he even urged her to rest early after playing until 11 PM.
Having someone to confide in made her high school days less unbearable. As her anxiety faded, Yun Ziyu’s weight gradually dropped, and her grades even started to improve.
Yun Ziyu: What’s it like making a game? Is it fun? I notice you’re constantly making new heroes every week.
Creator: It’s super fun. Seeing the models I imported in battle, watching the effects of the skills I designed—it gives me a sense of fulfillment.
Creator: Even though not many people play the game, and even my family doesn’t really understand, having a friend like you to play with makes me feel like my weekly updates are worth it.
Yun Ziyu: Then once my college entrance exams are over, can I make games with you?
Creator: Sure, but you’ll have to work hard on your exams and get into a good university. Then you might even be able to develop a real independent game that isn’t tied to this platform!
Yun Ziyu: Mm. I’ll stay offline for a while. Wait for my good news.
In the last three months before the exams, Yun Ziyu found her dream. Even though she’d borrowed it from someone else, she still wanted to work hard to achieve it, because the feeling of gratitude inside her was so real.
In the end, she succeeded. She got into the prestigious Northwater University.
When she tried to log into that game platform, she found it had shut down a month earlier due to poor management.
That day, Yun Ziyu cried. She cried for a long time.
But she pulled herself together quickly because she didn’t want to let down the dream in her heart.
She had made a promise with that friend to make games together. As long as they both worked toward that dream, they would meet again someday.
That small experience was what made Yun Ziyu who she was today. That’s why she studied game modeling, learned about game operations, and joined a game company.
Yun Ziyu couldn’t help but wonder where that old friend was now. She really wanted to see him again.
“Wait, don’t tell me you’re… ‘Hua Luo Hua Luo’?” Ling Cheng’s fan game had hardly any players back then. Only one player had played hundreds of rounds with him.
Before the platform shut down, Ling Cheng had sent many messages hoping to add that person as a friend.
Unfortunately, that person was cramming for their college entrance exams at the time and didn’t see them, leaving Ling Cheng quietly heartbroken for a while.
But that experience only strengthened his resolve to make games, because he believed his games could bring genuine joy to others.
“Huh? How did President Ling know?”
“Because I’m the creator… No one played my game back then. I only opened rooms in my spare time, until I met a player named Hua Luo Hua Luo.”
The moment Ling Cheng said he was the creator, Yun Ziyu was so shocked she couldn’t speak. Not a single syllable escaped her throat.
She was afraid that if she tried to respond, she would burst into tears.
Her wish had been fulfilled so early, in such an incredible way.
What a long, roundabout journey it had been.
“It really is you. I sent you so many messages back then, but the platform…” Ling Cheng paused the game, speaking with a flood of emotions. When he turned his head, he found Yun Ziyu’s face already streaked with tears.
“Yeah. Good thing, good thing I kept working hard.” Yun Ziyu’s voice choked up. She was immensely grateful that she had chosen to keep pushing forward, that she had chosen to keep her promise.
And the other person had really been working hard to make games all along too. They hadn’t reached the summit yet when they met.
Maybe that was better this way. Because now, she could climb to the top hand in hand with him.
“D-don’t cry! I, this…” Ling Cheng had no idea how to handle this situation. Dealing with a crying girl was his weakest point. He would rather face a yandere with a kitchen knife than see a girl in tears.
Seeing Ling Cheng flustered and panicked, Yun Ziyu instead laughed through her tears. So even the formidable President Ling could be so at a loss. How cute.