Chapter 78: The Seven Springs and Summers of Loving You, and Not Being Allowed to Love You Anymore (Part 1)

Shan Di Meng wasn’t always silver-haired. In fact, he debuted with golden hair. Even in his vast knowledge of over a thousand manga, no one would design a male protagonist with gray-streaked black-and-white hair. He was well aware of his own charm without realizing it. Back then, Renwu Road was a relatively desolate street behind the university’s back gate. Beyond the graffiti walls and skateboarding zones, rows of cherry blossom trees lined both sides of the road. When the blossoms fell, the entire street became awash with white and pink petals. The first time he arrived on this street, there was no Lorry two kilometers away, no major video portals or dominant gaming companies—this was simply a student street. As he reached the crossroads, the words “Enjoy Your Experience” from the virtual world still lingered in his vision when a girl on a skateboard came barreling toward him, her pink-tipped ponytail flying as she shouted: “Watch out!”

The scent that greeted him upon impact was his first whiff of this world—a pure, post-rain freshness mingled with the fragrance of flowers and the unmistakable energy of youth, even in the night. If his initial appearance had been somewhat heavy, this clarity gave him a refreshing new start.

He was human now.

A sports car roared past, leaving him unsure who should have been more cautious. But indeed, he was the gentle city hunter, designed by the mangaka as the “White Angel,” tender-hearted and compassionate. The speed at which he fell for the pink-ponytailed girl was faster than the rhythm of breathing in and out. According to his mission, he was supposed to first locate the target in the real world and begin his romantic conquest. However, as the abandoned manga’s protagonist, he doubted whether his every move exuded the “ripped-from-the-comic” charisma or possessed the captivating beauty of humanity.

But he was certain earlier than anyone else that this girl was the one he needed to pursue. Among the first batch of Pantheon participants sent into the real world, Shan Di Meng, as the discarded manga’s hero, saw the world in black and white. Yet Jiang Huan was the only colorful existence in this world. Thanks to her, he saw the colors of cherry blossoms for the first time, and he saw himself reflected in her pupils—not with pale white hair, but with color. Golden could be so gentle, even dazzling at night.

He believed in fate more than others. A naturally romantic first-generation protagonist, freshly arrived in the real world, being crashed into like this and seeing colors for the first time felt like a serendipitous blessing.

Renwu Road was easier to find housing on than expected, and he was more popular than others—it was hard to explain that his blond hair wasn’t dyed but natural, his genius mind merely part of his character setting. His academic record was impeccable, already a legend spreading through Renwu Road. Upon his debut, he was given the credentials of an overseas Ph.D., capable of teaching undergraduate courses at universities, quickly drawing crowds that filled corridors and added extra chairs. He didn’t care much about it. He stayed on Renwu Road because of the late cherry blossoms and, more importantly, to see the pink-ponytailed girl often. She had a secondhand skateboard bought from a campus forum and frequently practiced here in secret, believing she was terrible at skateboarding. Shan Di Meng didn’t think so. Her high ponytail to avoid blocking her view was adorable, her knee pads and turtle plushie tied to her waist were cute, and her frustrated expression after falling and sitting on the ground wiping sweat was endearing as well. It was impolite to hold someone’s waist while teaching them how to skateboard, but this girl had a naturally outgoing personality, eagerly grabbing his hand and placing it on her waist: “Why are you shy? Teach me!”

She was in such a rush to remove the little turtle and knee pads from her waist that he had plenty of opportunities to guide her forward. When he touched her waist, his first thought was that a girl’s frame was so small. She wasn’t frail, but the difference in their physiques made his heart race. He imagined embracing her, feeling her fit perfectly in his arms, and for the first time, he yearned for an embrace. This pure desire to hold her came from nowhere, yet he harbored no inappropriate thoughts; just touching her made him blush.

She turned around, removing her helmet: “Shan Di Meng, I can skate now! Here’s your helmet back!”

The first emotion he perceived after understanding infatuation was loss.

He rented a top-floor apartment on Renwu Road and learned instruments on the terrace, often attracting admirers who would confess to him. To avoid being discovered again, Shan Di Meng bought an erhu, which led to his neighbors reporting him to the police station. Many thought Shan Di Meng had given up on music, but in reality, he had quickly mastered it, developed his own style, and gone on to record soundtracks for games. However, the habit of gathering on the rooftop remained. Shan Di Meng set up a tent on the roof and often snuggled inside with Jiang Huan to stargaze. At least once a month in Shanghai, they could see stars. If not, Shan Di Meng always had a way to conjure magic. After all, fulfilling such a simple wish wasn’t difficult for him. Besides, her smile was far brighter than any star.

“Shan Di Meng, you’re so kind. How could you bear to spend almost every day with me?”

“You make it sound like I should be in heaven.”

“That’s not true. Meteors fall to Earth, and whoever sees them gets to keep them.”

“So you think I’m yours now?”

“Of course! Didn’t I crash into you with my skateboard the moment you arrived on Renwu Road…?”

“Then we have a deal. No more gloomy talk. You caught a meteor because you shine, not because of luck. In this world, only you deserve it.”

“I… I’m not that great…”

“I mean it. You’re special in my eyes. Your colors are different from everyone else’s.”

Every word was heartfelt, making her blush and hide her ears behind her hair, playfully bumping him with her shoulder. Shan Di Meng stole glances at her, and when he saw stars reflected in her eyes, he knew the 4.95 points he earned in Mowu City to gain a chance in the real world were worth it. He volunteered to come here for one purpose—to find the person who created her and see if he could truly fall in love with her. As it turned out, following one’s instincts was simpler than breathing.

As for confessing, it could wait. Just having her rush to him during her free time was satisfying enough. What he had to conceal most carefully was his transformation-like task-upgrading activities: fixing broken toy bears so they could emit sounds to comfort their owners, swapping out rogue souls in self-driving vehicles, taming a Ferris wheel that wanted to spin once every three seconds, rescuing disadvantaged groups and saving girls in crises—all these were routine for him as a city hunter. After punishing evil and promoting good, he pretended to sleep at home, making it hard to confess. Urban societal rules were also baffling; couples in love could cohabit, but for him, it meant inconvenience and constant anxiety about being caught. In her eyes, he was merely an outstanding young man who excelled at everything. The tasks he had to complete behind the scenes were beyond the syllabus. After finishing a mission, he found her basking in the sun at home, drawing storyboards on the floor, determined to create works that would make girls happy. Shan Di Meng was deeply moved, kneeling on the floor to draw, knees covered in eraser crumbs. Leaning against the table, he kissed her for the first time. Unable to resist, he silently thanked himself for moving the table the previous night to retrieve the nightlight Jiang Huan had given him. She was stuck between the table and the wall, unable to escape, and could only let the sunlight fall on her face, illuminating her brown irises through the gaps in her hair—she hadn’t had time to close her eyes.

He had seen Jiang Huan staying up all night drawing. She designed a new male protagonist who could manipulate air and teleport, an aloof antagonist always dressed in suits and leather shoes, elegant yet noble… All traits opposite to Shan Di Meng. But Jiang Huan was excited: “My teenage ideal type has always been someone like Shan Di Meng-nii, so I definitely want to try a new style! But I do feel like I’ve created you somehow… No, I’m not that talented…”

Abandoned characters leave no impression on their creators. Shan Di Meng’s jealousy overflowed, enveloping the room in a sinister aura, but in the end, he only said: “Do you really wish for this new character to come to life?”

“Of course! Manga alone isn’t enough. Black-and-white can’t capture his charm. He’s a seemingly cold and noble man who’s actually passionate underneath. He needs the latest techniques. Unfortunately, I can only draw. My writing isn’t good enough either. Let me think about it…”

Even as she spoke of thinking, she didn’t sleep that night, kneeling in Shan Di Meng’s living room and drawing countless storyboards. In her haste, circles represented heads, two vertical lines stood for bodies, and a string of symbols followed behind… Lying on the floor, hugging her manuscripts with excitement, Shan Di Meng couldn’t help but wonder if he, as the male protagonist, had been drawn by Jiang Huan in such a sleepless frenzy.

It was envious. He moved closer, hugged her tightly, and saw the storyboard of her blushing and leaning in—two circles, four curves. He was consumed with jealousy: “Are you pouring more love into him than into me?”

“You’re human; he’s just a character. How can you compare?”

“In a way, we’re the same.” He wasn’t lying. His version was just outdated and naive, and jealousy was something he’d only recently learned.

“What do you know? Love in 2D is pure. Only the deepest affection leads to deeper connections. People nowadays are too restless—they meet and immediately jump into bed. But love is wanting to touch yet pulling back… Every character I create must sincerely love someone.”

“All right.”

Shan Di Meng secretly calculated a timeline. When Jiang Huan conceived a new goal for her work and successfully began striving toward that dream, he would confess to her. He stayed by her side as Renwu Road grew busier, shops multiplied, and the buildings behind transformed into gaming companies. Every floor of every building on Renwu Road was filled with shops. Everyone knew about his relationship with Jiang Huan. Girls eager for a glimpse of Shan Di Meng lined up outside Renwu Road. But Shan Di Meng celebrated Jiang Huan’s birthday with her friends, taking Polaroid photos where both of them blinked from the flash but looked incredibly happy, laughing until they hugged each other tightly. They squeezed together for group photos, everyone’s faces distorted, but the noise and chaos seemed preserved in the pictures. The Polaroids were black and white, like everyone else’s, but Jiang Huan holding the developing photo under candlelight, her illuminated face and eyes, were the most beautiful colors—no fireworks could compare.

He anticipated every occasion and genuinely loved this city. He had heard Mowu City had high color saturation, but he couldn’t feel it. The entire city felt cold to him. Now he understood: the meaning of manga was to project love onto a single person, seeing only their colors. The colors of everything else were probably ordinary. Only after loving someone could one see the hidden versions of the world through them.

Bright, dark, vibrant after revival, curious, and kaleidoscopic. Together, they rode electric scooters around islands, their helmets clashing, white shirts billowing like thin wings in the wind. They met in autumn when the maple leaves reached waist-high, holding hands and collapsing into the rustling leaves, laughing as the crisp sounds filled their ears. On boats by the sea, seagulls flew in large flocks, the water shimmering, but his eyes acted like a viewfinder, focusing only on her enjoyment of color…

Through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, happiness knew no bounds.

Once, the girl told him stories had exposition, development, climax, and resolution. He had asked why there was a “turn”—it sounded ominous. She explained cheerfully: “Tragedies last forever. No one remembers happy endings. Only sorrowful things are remembered.”

He should have argued back then. At least, after arguing, he wouldn’t feel like what happened next was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The first time he realized the girl was in danger was when she went missing for eight hours. Through the system’s item search, he found her locked in an elevator, unconscious from oxygen deprivation. Then she was hit by a car and lost too much blood in the hospital—he couldn’t donate blood. Later, during a rare outing to the beach, among seven or eight people, only she encountered a sudden tide, despite checking the tide chart beforehand… These incidents, disastrous enough for any normal person, kept happening to her one after another. When she woke up in the hospital, she joked: “What’s going on lately? Did someone write me into the Book of Life and Death?”

Shan Di Meng was furious, finding Pantheon’s rules extremely unjust. They couldn’t deliberately place dangers in Jiang Huan’s path just to collect emotions. He rarely showed his ruthless side, but there were moments when he wanted to find and destroy the hidden rule-makers of Pantheon. When the virtual assistant finally responded, its answer shocked Shan Di Meng.

“It’s because you arrived in the real world a few years before her predetermined death date, gaining unparalleled romantic experiences. Now she’s entered the decline phase of her life. You can delay it, but you cannot prevent it entirely.”

“Is this a test for me? You can increase the difficulty of any mission, but don’t involve her. She shouldn’t die.”

“Unfortunately, there’s no ‘involvement.’ Accidental death was her original outcome, which is why you were granted access. Each year, Pantheon grants fewer than five slots worldwide. Very few people meet such emotional criteria.”

“You’ve been planning data migration to the new planet all along, so we’re all just cogs.” Shan Di Meng clenched his fists.

“As containers for collecting emotions, you can’t only experience happiness. Disappointing your expectations, turning joy into pain, transforming eternal love into lifelong regret aligns with the complexity of emotions. That’s our purpose for collection.”

As a city hunter, he could protect so many people, except the one he loved. At that moment, he couldn’t call her his lover. A lover shouldn’t bring frequent danger to the other.

The girl felt frustrated but embraced him immediately: “Shan Di Meng, why do you look so upset? It’s just a minor issue. Don’t act like it’s life and death. By the way, do you know the newly built building behind Renwu Road? It’s that famous Lorry. I submitted my resume and reached the final interview. If I get accepted, I’ll prove I have some talent, won’t I?”

Shan Di Meng smiled weakly but tried to appear cheerful: “You’re already very talented. You might not believe it, but my life gained meaning because of you.”

The girl paused, patting his shoulder forcefully: “Shan Di Meng, don’t be so serious! You’re scaring me…”

The embrace that should have happened at her bedside was delayed until they returned to Renwu Road. In the sweltering summer, the cherry tree leaves were lush green, and the streets were filled with shops. More and more young people gathered, turning it into a bustling youth market and district. Shan Di Meng became a fixed lecturer as a young professor, dyeing his blond hair black, renting a small shop to open a gaming arcade, still a Renwu Road legend. After Jiang Huan got the job, she ran into the shop ecstatically, crashing into Shan Di Meng with full force: “I got the job! Rooftop celebration, Shan Di Meng!”

Two customers in the shop looked at the embracing couple with confusion and alarm—why did getting a job warrant a rooftop meeting? And if it was rooftop-worthy, why was she so happily hugging her boyfriend?

And… why was her boyfriend so handsome? How did this girl manage it?

That evening, they lit the small night lamp on the rooftop to celebrate. The girl drank a bit too much. Shan Di Meng abstained from alcohol, fearing she’d get too excited and fall off the building, but fortunately, nothing happened. However, when she hid behind him unnoticed, he panicked and stood up, relieved to see her making a funny face. She pounced on him, causing him to lean back and “fiercely” kiss her cheeks, which were wet with saliva—she was truly drunk.

But he gently kissed her back. Happiness and pain merged into a dizzying sensation. He lifted her and spun her around on the rooftop, nearly reaching the edge, causing her to pound his shoulders: “Shan Di Meng, are you crazy?”

“There’s a high railing. What’s there to fear?”

“You haven’t had a drink, so why are you acting drunk!”

“I’m happy for you.”

“Don’t you have dreams? Next time, let me make you happy and spin you around! Once I build abs, I’ll give you a princess carry!”

“All right, I’ll remember that.”

After spinning until they were exhausted, Shan Di Meng protected the back of her head, but she grabbed his shirt, and they both collapsed to the ground. Stars still twinkled above. The girl said, “Shan Di Meng, this time when I go home, I’m going to dye my hair fully pink. My dream has always been to dye it pink once and sing, though my singing is terrible, so I’ll just go crazy with the dye. I hope Mom agrees.”

The pink-haired singer was the image of the female protagonist from the manga he came from. So this manga was created to fulfill girlish fantasies. In this sense, it was fitting that it wasn’t published or widely known—it became his exclusive romance. He turned to look at Jiang Huan. Perhaps from smiling too much, tears hung at the corners of her eyes, but he knew they weren’t from sadness.

“Do you have any other dreams?”

“Well… I hope my parents stay healthy, finish writing my current characters well, launch my projects, and become an outstanding producer, an independent one. Shan Di Meng, do you know? Before, I didn’t understand games—I thought they were just violent things men played in dark rooms. Now I realize they can accompany girls’ growth. There was an Olympic diver who won gold thanks to the support of her otome game boyfriend. After winning, she posted on Weibo: ‘XXX, I did it!’ Such a feeling is truly worth being proud of. I think I’ve drawn such perfect lovers before, but maybe my skills weren’t good enough or my memory failed. I forgot if I finished those drawings.”

“Won’t you regret giving your characters to the project team?”

“What am I? Being part of such a big project, seen by millions of girls at first sight—that’s perfection.”

“The lover who belongs to you would only want you to see them.”

The girl turned to face him: “But besides kissing me, you’re stingy with everything else. Shan Di Meng, do you really like me?”

You said that love in 2D is forever pure. My reason for being so purely in love is that when you created this manga, you harbored no inappropriate thoughts beyond love. Love is wanting to touch yet pulling back.

He gently kissed the tip of Jiang Huan’s nose. The girl said, “Shan Di Meng, I know you well. You’re a star fallen from the sky, illuminating me, so you’ll never leave me, right?”

Shan Di Meng smiled: “You know nothing about me.”