The night stretched deep, unfurling into the distance beneath a veil of darkness.
High above, the bright moon hung in the sky, seemingly distant and untouchable, as though it were forever beyond reach.
At the top of a building which was approximately fifteen stories high, a man stood alone in the darkness. His features were swallowed by shadow, making it difficult for others to identify him.
It was past midnight already, and people were either occupied with their own affairs or had already fallen asleep, so there was barely anyone who noticed that someone was standing at the very edge of a building's rooftop.
A gentle breeze slipped through the man's hair, lifting the dark strands by his cheeks. With one hand, he tucked them behind his ear, the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile as he murmured softly, "The moon is beautiful tonight…"
"I only wish that when I fade away, I could be just as beautiful… just as radiant…" he continued.
Driving by instinct, he stepped forward, lifting a hand up and looking towards the moon, as if he were trying to touch the moonlight.
"If there really were gods in this world…"
"Please… take me away from this wretched world."
"Please… let me return to the beautiful moon."
After finishing his last sentence, he took another step forward, and uncontrollably, he fell straight down from the fifteen-story building. He spread out his arms, as if he was embracing freedom, though it was also as if he was plunging into an abyss. He felt the wind roar past him as he plunged downward, faster and faster.
Before he totally lost consciousness, he cast one final glance at the bright moon hanging high above.
That was the only place he ever longed for, and the home he could never reach.
How beautiful…
THUMP!
"Ahhh—"
The loud sound immediately caught the attention of the other people, and after they turned their heads around, screams erupted all around.
———
My heart… feels too tired…
My body… hurts so much…
Someone… help…
[Ending Achieved: The Wish of the Fallen Moon (BE)
———At last, only the moonlight fell silently, witnessing his fall.]
"What kind of ending is this?!!" Lu Ye shouted.
He had the immediate desire to smash his phone onto the ground, but he forced himself to calm down.
"Calm down, Lu Ye. You have to stay calm. You do not have the money to buy a second one," he murmured to himself.
He had been eating instant noodles for three days already, and this would most likely be his dinner until payday arrived.
He set the phone aside and took a deep breath. Then he lay back down on the bed, though his heart was still unable to calm down.
He draped an arm over his forehead and closed his eyes, but the image of that man plunging from the building kept replaying in his mind. He reached out for his phone, then froze immediately.
Grabbing a pillow, he pressed it over his head and bit on his lower lip. He tried to force himself to sleep, but obviously, he was unable to go asleep.
Ring—ring—
The phone beside him began to buzz, but Lu Ye wasn't in the right mood to answer it. He turned over and ignored the sound.
After a while, the ringing stopped. He let out a long breath and wanted to go back to sleep until the ringing began again a few minutes later.
The shrill sound was making him annoyed. Lu Ye frowned a little, clicking his tongue impatiently before reluctantly answering the call.
"Who is it?" Lu Ye heard himself ask, his voice low and hoarse.
The person on the other end seemed shocked by his tone and asked with worry, "Lu Ye, are you okay? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
"It's nothing that serious… What are you calling for?" he replied, seemingly unwilling to talk more about this topic.
The person on the other end fell silent for a few seconds before speaking. "I just wanted to ask about your progress on that game you are currently playing. How was it?"
Hearing him mention the game, Lu Ye immediately recalled the maddening experience. He clicked on the speaker button on his phone and walked into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.
"It's absolutely terrible! It had already been my thirtieth run, and I still ended up with a bad ending. What kind of garbage game did you recommend to me? No matter what choices I make, that character's affection always drops, and then that would lead to a bad ending," Lu Ye replied, his voice filled with frustration.
"I'm seriously starting to wonder if the game developer actually designed a 'good ending' for this character at all," he added bitterly.
The person talking to him on the other end was Ling Xiao, Lu Ye's best friend (or maybe he was his only one), a very optimistic and welcoming person. From what Lu Ye heard from his classmates in school, Ling Xiao is someone who can bring warmth to others, and Lu Ye totally agrees with this. Sometimes, Lu Ye even wondered how the two of them had ever become friends in the first place, as their personalities were totally opposite from one another.
However, fate worked in mysterious ways sometimes. Back in middle school, Ling Xiao and Lu Ye had been in the same class and even became tablemates for a total of three years. Due to his childhood issues, Lu Ye was someone who would barely trust anyone.
At first, Lu Ye did not really want to get into any kind of relationship with Ling Xiao. However, for some reason, Ling Xiao got pretty interested in him, constantly striking up conversations with him and sticking by his side. After being annoyed for a little more than two years, Lu Ye finally relented and became friends with him.
It was exactly Ling Xiao who had strongly recommended this game, claiming that it was super relaxing to play. He had even promised that romancing the male leads was super easy, and that was basically the only reason that Lu Ye decided to give this game a try.