To the Love That Will Eventually Die

As a Psychological Counselor at Henshan Maximum-Security Prison, Gao Ming faced enormous pressure at work every day. Making games was another way for him to let off steam. He worked all the horrors he saw, heard about, and imagined into his games, sharing his unease and fear with his players. In that sense, he was a generous man.

"My greatest dream used to be turning all my ideas into finished games, so players around the world could experience the appeal of Chinese-style suspense..."

Having a dream become reality should have been a happy thing, but Gao Ming had never imagined his dream would come true quite so literally.

Carrying a cardboard box full of game design proposals into the restroom, Gao Ming took out a lighter.

The flames consumed the work he had poured his heart into. Gao Ming lit a cigarette with the fire fueled by his dreams.

After disposing of all the ashes, Gao Ming returned to the office, hoping Boss Gou would help him delete the files saved on the studio's computers.

The proposals for games that had yet to secure funding were easy enough to delete, but several games had already been completed, including the dating game Nightlight Studio had discussed at that morning's meeting.

The game was called "To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade." Boss Gou had pulled strings and gone to great lengths to secure the project for Nightlight Studio.

He placed enormous importance on this dating game, viewing it as the key to Nightlight Studio's change in direction.

"Gao Ming, I don't care if you delete the other games, but not this dating game." Boss Gou set down his insulated mug and tried appealing to his emotions, looking thoroughly miserable. "Our studio is relying on this game to keep food on the table. We've worked together for years. You don't want to see everyone lose their jobs, do you? I'm over forty, with elderly parents and children to support, and I've already signed an agreement with the investors. If we can't finish this game, my whole family will end up on the streets."

Gao Ming understood where Boss Gou was coming from, but he still shook his head. Right now, Boss Gou had only signed a business agreement with the investors. If this game became real, the entire company would effectively be staking their lives on a bet with the King of Hell.

Other games made players spend money. His games made the players and developers spend their lives. No one could escape.

"How about this?" Gao Ming opened a page on the computer. "Dayou designed 'To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade' as a whole, but I supplied some murder ideas. Eight of the nine girlfriend routes don't need to be touched, but the ninth route, which I helped write, has to be deleted."

"To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade" told the story of an academically hopeless shut-in who turned his life around. Over the course of his life, he met nine different women, including a gravely ill childhood sweetheart, a company executive with a cold exterior and a kind heart, and Li Lüxin, a manipulative woman who played innocent. Wei Dayou had designed the first eight heroines. Since the entire staff of Nightlight Studio had fewer relationships between them than could be counted on one hand, the dating game's story was nothing special.

At the time, Gao Ming had felt the game lacked a distinctive hook, so he had suggested that Wei Dayou add a ninth route—the Psychopathic Serial Killer, Xuan Wen.

She was a dangerous woman with extraordinarily high emotional intelligence and intellect. After her pure, sincere love was betrayed, Xuan Wen's love turned into a sick obsession. She always knew where the protagonist was, watching him every moment of every day.

The addition of the ninth route had changed the nature of the game, sending the dating sim hurtling toward supernatural crime.

When Gao Ming volunteered to delete the ninth route, Boss Gou was secretly overjoyed. "No problem! We'll delete the ninth route right away. From today onward, we'll focus on making a proper dating game!"

"Let me offer one more piece of unsolicited advice," Gao Ming said. "Don't design so many heroine routes. One is enough, and ideally, she shouldn't have much to do with the protagonist. Just let them both live to a ripe old age."

"How are we supposed to make a dating game if they don't interact?" Wei Dayou asked, puzzled.

"People these days take a laid-back approach to dating. They leave it to fate. The male lead doesn't even need to communicate with the outside world." Even the little family games Gao Ming had made before could mutate into something terrifying. This dating game might do the same. Better safe than sorry.

"All right." Wei Dayou couldn't tell whether Gao Ming was speaking out of frustration or genuinely believed what he was saying. To him, the ninth route was the heart of the entire game. Without it, there would be nothing left to look forward to.

Wei Dayou opened his computer and was about to modify the ninth route when the glass door to Nightlight's office suddenly swung open.

As though sensing something, the fat cat that lazed around the office all day suddenly let out a cry. It jumped off the desk and hid behind a bookcase, its fur bristling and its body trembling.

"I'm terribly sorry. The rain was so heavy outside that I couldn't get a taxi."

A gentle voice came from the doorway. Simply listening to her speak seemed to put people at ease.

Everyone looked toward the corridor. A woman stood in the doorway, her shoulders wet with rain. She wore a white blouse and a skirt, yet even those simple clothes looked different on her.

Smiling, easygoing, and poised, the woman seemed unaware of how beautiful she was. Or perhaps her exquisite looks were merely the least remarkable thing about her.

"It's all right. We've had torrential rain these past few days. These are exceptional circumstances. We understand." Manager Gou waved a hand and introduced her to Gao Ming. "Her name is Xuan Wen. She's a game designer who's just entered the industry. Quite a coincidence—she has the same name as that supporting female character you designed."

Given Nightlight Studio's current circumstances, they couldn't attract especially talented employees anyway.

Standing where he was, Gao Ming studied the unfamiliar woman a short distance away. Her clothes were plain, but no ordinary outfit could conceal her distinctive bearing.

Having dealt with death-row inmates every day, Gao Ming could vaguely sense what it was: a hunter's confidence, a predator's grace.

"Xuan Wen?"

"Yes. Hello."

"Psychopathic Serial Killer?"

"Huh?" Xuan Wen was visibly taken aback. Manager Gou hurried over to smooth things out, brushing it off with a joke.

Male and female employees alike greeted Xuan Wen warmly. Only Gao Ming and the fat cat were deliberately keeping their distance.

Standing in the corner farthest from Xuan Wen, Gao Ming quietly took out his phone and searched online. He found no information about her. Then he entered the names of the other heroines from "To Our Love That Will Eventually Fade."

He tried them one after another. When he reached Li Lüxin, several news reports appeared in the search results.

Two nights earlier, Li Lüxin had died under mysterious circumstances in her boyfriend's mansion. Suicide was suspected.

"Someone with the same name? Or... murder?" Glancing at Xuan Wen, Gao Ming couldn't shake the feeling that her arrival at Nightlight Studio at this particular moment was no innocent coincidence. She isn't here for me, is she?

His scalp prickled. Gao Ming grabbed Wei Dayou and urged him to delete all the game proposals as quickly as possible.

The stakes were too high. He had to watch Wei Dayou finish deleting and modifying everything with his own eyes.

The two worked until afternoon. Every game proposal and idea Gao Ming had contributed to Nightlight Studio was deleted, and they began revising the parts they couldn't remove.

Looking at the blank documents, Gao Ming felt a little more at ease. He carried a cup of hot water out of the office.

The fat cat slipped out after him, moving with startling speed and an agility utterly at odds with its size.

"Did you sense the danger too? You're a clever little thing." Gao Ming went to the shared lounge and deliberately chose a secluded spot, stroking the cat as he thought.

Sensing something wrong, Gao Ming immediately stood up. He smelled a peculiar fragrance, faint yet full of temptation and danger.

He turned to find Xuan Wen standing behind him, though he had no idea when she had arrived. Her slender fingers rested lightly on his shoulder as she backed him against the wall. "Honey, are you pretending you don't know me?"

At the way Xuan Wen addressed him, Gao Ming's expression froze. His grip loosened on the disposable paper cup, and it fell to the floor, splashing water onto them both.

"Honey???" Gao Ming pressed his back against the wall, every hair standing on end. He had never even dated anyone. How could he possibly be somebody's husband? There was something terribly wrong with the woman before him!

"You want to delete all the games, but everything began three days ago. The nightmares hidden in your heart have already become reality." Xuan Wen moved closer. Her smile was gentle and warm, while Gao Ming's unease was reflected in her eyes. "Have you forgotten what happened in the tunnel that night?"

Xuan Wen spoke so softly that only the two of them could hear. "If you need me to help you remember, you can come to my place tonight."

She reached out with both hands to straighten Gao Ming's collar, acting as though they had lived together for a very long time.

"You don't need to worry about being in danger, because those bad women who have their sights set on you..." Xuan Wen slowly leaned toward Gao Ming's ear. "I've already killed them all."

(End of chapter)