Shen Lizhou closed his eyes.
Opened them again, closed them, opened them once more.
Dawn had broken.
He looked at the bandage on his finger.
The bandage had been tied into a neat little knot, wrapped just right—not too tight, not too loose—yet it was a sensation impossible to ignore, as if some soft, contractual rope had been slipped around him.
Change the dressing every day.
Shi Ran's voice echoed in his ears. She had thanked him for helping her find such a satisfactory storefront, said she would come by tomorrow to sign the lease, and mentioned that if he was available, she'd like to treat him to a meal as thanks, and change his dressing while she was at it. After all, with the injury on his finger, it was inconvenient for him to manage on his own.
Before the words had even fully formed into concrete meaning in his mind, Shen Lizhou heard himself say "Okay."
The next day…
Was today.
One more day survived.
The motorized curtains slid silently apart. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, morning light was spreading up from the horizon. Waves of golden-red light crashed against the glass, shattering into countless points of shimmering brilliance that spilled across the cold white marble floor, casting swaying patterns of light and shadow across the empty living room.
The entire house was of his own design. Clean, restrained, with lines so stark they were almost cruel, dividing the space. Stone and metal gleamed with a cold, hard luster—aesthetically impeccable, yet utterly hollow.
No sofa. No television. No soft furnishings of any kind. No warmth. No trace of human life.
It had all been taken care of already.
Shen Lizhou sat alone amid the light and shadow, his long lashes casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes.
Morning light seeped in, and the cream-colored fabric of his clothes took on a soft sheen in the glow.
He curled his fingers gently.
Shi Ran signed the lease for the storefront without a hitch.
Keys in hand, she walked a slow circle through the empty space. Morning sunlight streamed through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, flooding the entire room with brightness, and she couldn't help but recall the ideas Shen Lizhou had described the night before.
Cat trees with plush platforms by the windows, a few quiet treatment rooms partitioned off in the corners, and the backyard could be converted into a small garden where recovering animals could soak up the sun.
Chen Anke had just finished renovating her own studio and strongly recommended a young female designer. They were already in a group chat, hashing out the initial plans.
Just a few reference images had been enough to make her steps feel lighter, as if she were walking on soft, floating clouds.
Next came construction, permits, purchasing, hiring, and then the grand opening…
Just thinking about it filled her with hope.
She really needed to treat Shen Lizhou to a proper meal as thanks.
Shi Ran pulled out her phone and scrolled through restaurant options. After much deliberation, she settled on one in a mall in the city center.
For some reason, she felt that Shen Lizhou would benefit from being in lively, crowded places more often.
She sent him the location and asked for his opinion.
A reply came quickly: "Okay."
Shi Ran had been away from the country for too long and had underestimated the weekend crowd at the mall. She got stuck in traffic for nearly half an hour just entering the underground parking garage, spent another ten-plus minutes hunting for a spot, then hurried up to the first floor, craning her neck left and right through the sea of people.
And then she spotted him in an instant.
He stood in the crowd, yet seemed apart from it. A black mask covered most of his face, leaving only a pair of quiet, beautiful eyes visible. Through the rising and falling tide of noise, his gaze locked onto her immediately, and he walked toward her.
"Sorry, the traffic was terrible," Shi Ran said with a smile. "I didn't expect this many people."
"No worries, I just got here myself."
The mask traced the clean lines of his jaw, making the exposed skin look even paler by contrast.
Shi Ran glanced at him and asked, "Why the mask? Did you catch a cold?"
"…No," he said, pausing for a moment before reaching up and removing the mask. "An old habit."
The moment the mask came off, the gazes drifting past seemed to transform into countless thin, sharp needles, stabbing in from every direction, piercing the exposed skin and then sinking coldly and slowly into his flesh and bone.
Instinctively, he clenched his hand around the familiar wound on his finger—only to touch the soft bandage instead, and gradually, his grip lost its strength.
A buzzing sound filled his ears. Shen Lizhou began to feel lightheaded, his breathing growing shallow. His vision wavered between clarity and blur, everything hazy and indistinct, and the color slowly drained from his lips.
But beside him, Shi Ran was taking in the scene with fresh, curious eyes.
"The commercial development here is amazing! How are there so many cars… Are they holding a car show at the mall today?" She walked and looked, her eyes lighting up again and again. "They even have naked-eye 3D screens, and smart fitting mirrors… Is that a Perler bead experience shop? Chen Anke said it's super fun, I've never tried it. An AI lover experience booth—what's that? Oh my god, Ba Cha, Cha Se—these are all the milk tea shops I've been dreaming of, I used to just watch videos of other people drinking them… Hey, there's even a cat café? Oh, not just cats—they have Call ducks too? Wow, is that a mini pig—"
Shen Lizhou squinted with some difficulty, straining to make out her voice, then following her narration to look at those things.
A crisp, pleasant voice drilled into his ears, as if at that moment something had clicked open, allowing him to secretly borrow her eyes and see the world through her gaze.
So full of life, so beautiful.
Just like her.
And here he was, merely standing in the crowd, merely taking off his mask, and it had already become like this.
Something so ordinary, so normal, something everyone took for granted—he couldn't even do that…
"Sheng Wanwu flagship store—!" Shi Ran's voice cut through his thoughts. She quickened her steps, and upon seeing the staff setting up promotional displays, her voice trembled with excitement, "Oh my god! They're doing a surprise drop of the SSR Series new items at 15:00 today… Perfect! If we go eat now, we should be back just in time." With that, she called out to him cheerfully, "Let's go, Shen Lizhou."
He took a deep breath and followed her pace. She lingered reluctantly at the store entrance, gazing at the display images of the new items, muttering, "One per person limit… how stingy is that? I can't even. If you don't want to sell, then don't sell! Always pulling that hunger marketing crap."
"…"
Her words were so clear that the ringing in his ears receded slightly. Shen Lizhou's Adam's apple bobbed: "…Maybe they'll restock later."
"No, you don't understand," Shi Ran said. "Sheng Wanwu doesn't make money off blind boxes. Especially the SSR Series—they're released randomly, and once they're sold out, that's it. No restocks. The owner is a genuine artist—aloof, reclusive, hard for most people to understand, and probably hard to get close to either." Thinking about how many times she'd failed to snag the blind box she wanted, she grew more and more incensed, "Definitely some super weirdo living in their own little world."
Super weirdo Shen Lizhou walked alongside her: "…Oh, is that so?"
"That's exactly right!"
The two walked into the restaurant and sat down across from each other.
The lighting dimmed slightly, and a lazy, pleasant light melody began to play. Shi Ran looked at the menu, then suddenly let out a sigh.
She said softly, "But I still really like it."
Shen Lizhou looked up at her, dazed, as if he hadn't heard clearly: "What?"
"I said I still really like it." Shi Ran met his gaze. Their eyes locked, and she smiled, saying, "His designs. There's a warmth to them, a gentle undertone… Just seeing them makes you feel good."
She looked away and began ordering, saying casually, "Who knows, maybe he's actually a really lovely person."
Shen Lizhou's body stiffened.
For no reason at all.
His defenseless heart felt like it had been struck by something, heat surging through his veins and spreading to every limb. His ears burned first, then his cheeks, then the sides of his neck—so hot he couldn't move, almost wanting to let out a low cry for help. Fortunately, the restaurant was dim, and she didn't notice.
Shi Ran ordered her own favorites, then added a few very light, mild dishes.
Relying on her keen observational skills with small animals, she'd deduced that Shen Lizhou might prefer lighter cuisine. She also wanted to know if her judgment was accurate, so while eating, she'd occasionally sneak glances at him, hoping this meal she was treating him to would suit his taste.
Shen Lizhou breathed deeply.
He didn't know why Shi Ran would suddenly look up at him every so often, her gaze so focused and direct, laden with intense curiosity, making him completely unaware of what he was eating—he couldn't even taste anything.
He ate a tasteless, muddled meal, and Miss Shi nodded in satisfaction, praising him for eating better than last time, then happily paid the bill. The two went downstairs together, heading straight for Sheng Wanwu.
In the time they'd spent eating, a long line had already formed at the entrance.
The two stood side by side. Shi Ran cleared her throat and asked Shen Lizhou, "By the way. Do you like it? This series?"
"I don't like it," Shen Lizhou said, catching on quickly. "You can have my quota."
"Oh, sure then." Shi Ran's face lit up with joy. "Thanks so much."
The line moved forward a few steps, and she still wasn't reassured: "You really don't like it?"
"Really don't," Shen Lizhou said. "I don't even know what this thing is."
"Then I'll give it to you after all." Shi Ran said with great righteousness, "Once you know what it is, you'll definitely like it."
"…I really don't—"
"Say no more." Shi Ran had made up her mind. "I'll gift you one."
"…" Shen Lizhou could only say, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. You're definitely going to fall in love with our Sheng Wanwu!"
He paused, then asked, "Which one do you like?"
"The hidden one, of course. But the odds are super low—I've only ever pulled a hidden once." Shi Ran said, "Look at the display images up front. This time's hidden is absolutely stunning…"
As they chatted, it was their turn in line.
Everyone got five minutes to choose once they entered. People gathered around the booth, shaking boxes seriously and sharing tips with each other: "This one's heavy." "This one's hitting the top and bottom of the box—should be that one…"
Shi Ran also shook boxes earnestly and randomly, then said to Shen Lizhou, "See what style you like—you can shake them to get a feel."
She began shaking the blind boxes. She noticed him casually picking up a few to test, then selecting one, before wandering over to browse the adjacent series and quickly disappearing from sight.
See.
Sheng Wanwu really did have its appeal.
Shi Ran pulled her focus back and concentrated on shaking boxes. Soon she made her selection too, and went to the register with Shen Lizhou.
The two blind boxes sat side by side. Shi Ran wanted to pay for both together, but was told that due to purchase limits, each person could only buy their own.
"I see," Shen Lizhou said, pulling one of the blind boxes back first. "Then you go ahead and buy yours first."
No one noticed which blind box he had taken.
After Shi Ran finished checking out, the cashier pulled out a large bag of blind boxes from beneath the counter. "These are yours too—already paid for just now."
"Huh?" She looked confused. "I didn't pay for these."
"Your boyfriend just bought them for you." The young cashier's smile was sweet and knowing as she pushed the big bag over. "Take them!"
Neither of them had much chance to explain, because the girl was already waving at Shen Lizhou to pay. "There's a line behind you. Hurry up and give it to me."
Shi Ran had quite a haul today.
Carrying the big bag out of Sheng Wanwu, she said a little sheepishly, "Why did you spend so much?"
"I wanted to test my luck—see if I could pull a Hidden Edition." Shen Lizhou curved his lips into a smile. "Someone said first-timers get beginner's luck."
"That might actually be true." Shi Ran laughed.
Though the more likely outcome was that she'd get duplicates of ones she already had.
She'd just checked—most of the ones in that bag were from series she already owned. Some sat in her car, some were treasured at home…
Oh, no.
It was home overseas.
She hadn't even had a chance to ship them back yet.
Regardless, she lifted her head and smiled at Shen Lizhou. "Thank you for the gift. I really like it."
"That's great." Shen Lizhou said. "Let's open it up? The SSR Series."
"Mm!" Shi Ran examined the box carefully, then said, "I don't want this one, or this one, and I don't really like this one either. I want the Hidden Edition most. This one's nice, this one's okay, this one works too… Here goes!"
The box was torn open, and the gold-foiled frosted card dazzled her eyes.
Completely different from the coated paper cards of the regular editions, this card had a fine, grainy texture to the touch, its edges trimmed with delicate silver foil. Printed on it was a little girl in a white dress, holding a pure white cat in her arms. They sat amid a floating river of stars, with swirling nebulae streaming behind them.
"It's—" Shi Ran's breath caught for a moment. "The Hidden Edition! Angel Star!"
The people queuing around them immediately crowded in.
"Your luck is incredible! This is the first Hidden Edition I've seen in ages!"
"Oh my god, it's absolutely gorgeous. The shimmer on the skirt looks like a starry sky. The craftsmanship is insane."
"Wahhh, I can't believe this is the last release of the SSR Series. There'll never be more after this…"
Shi Ran's movements froze mid-motion.
She looked up at the boy who had spoken. "What do you mean, last?"
"You didn't know?" He made a miserable face and pulled out his phone, opening the official blog to show her. "The announcement went up today. This series is the swan song. The founder won't be creating anymore."
Shi Ran's heart plummeted, hollow and empty.
She gripped the Angel Star in her hand, its cold surface pressing into her palm. The excitement from moments ago had crumbled to ash.
"…You never know," she said. "A lifetime is a long time. Maybe the boss will change their mind one day. You can't say for sure."
"No." Someone shook their head with certainty. "Word is the founder isn't just stopping design—they're planning to leave the company entirely, retreat fully behind the scenes. Probably made enough money and wants to enjoy life."
"Yeah, I heard it's being handed over to a professional company. It'll probably become fully commercialized from now on…"
"After this, we'll never see them again…"
After this… never see them again.
Shi Ran's mood sank little by little, like being soaked in cold water.
Those blind boxes had become part of her life.
Open one when she was sad, open one when she was happy, open one when she was feeling down…
Every time she opened a box, it felt like receiving an anonymous letter.
She'd pulled a little rabbit leaping across a piano, a bear in a ballet tutu standing on tiptoe atop piano keys;
She'd pulled a frazzled kitten with a stethoscope around its neck and a thermometer tucked in its white coat pocket;
When she got married, she'd even bought a full wedding series.
That series was called White Veil Freedom.
The protagonist was a little girl in a white wedding dress. There was one hiking with a travel backpack, one fixing a broken pipe with a wrench, one crouching in a garden planting flowers, one curled up on a sofa reading, one running with balloons in hand…
They were the free brides she loved and longed for.
Of course, Shi Ran knew that nothing in this world lasted forever.
Favorite anime would end, bands she'd followed for years would disband, the corner shop she frequented would close its doors, and even the most romantic love could come to an end one day…
Life is inherently a journey of endless farewells, where nothing remains by your side forever.
But knowing is one thing; understanding is another.
Acceptance is always the hardest part.
"How selfish…" she murmured, almost to herself, "not sparing a single thought for how the fans feel."
With that, she silently walked out of the crowd.
Shen Lizhou followed closely behind her.
His gaze rested on her slender silhouette, and suddenly, inexplicably, he spoke.
"Perhaps…"
Just then, a familiar male voice, tinged with laughter, rang out unexpectedly.
"Well, well, did you come all this way just to see me at the auto show?"
Cheng Zimiao was as handsome as ever, dressed in a impeccably tailored suit as he strolled over, with a beaming Zhang Guoying trailing behind him.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at Shi Ran. "Wife?"