Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

When Xing opened her eyes, she found herself standing in a variety show recording studio.

The lights were blinding, and the set was so vibrant it seemed unreal.

The backdrop was covered with smiley faces and balloons, with a large line of text in the center that read, "Please become happy!"

Dozens of staff members sat in the audience, with cameras densely packed around them.

There was a pink sofa on the stage, and a girl was sitting on it.

She was fifteen or sixteen years old, with short brown hair, wearing a white dress that was clearly a size too big, and her hands were neatly placed on her knees.

Her eyes were empty, not looking at anything, but rather as if she was emptying her mind, withdrawing herself from this body.

"Is this the same ghost girl from before?" Xing asked in confusion.

She walked up to Perkui, waved her hand, and found that Perkui, like everyone else, could not see her.

"Okay, scene five, third time, action!" The director's voice came from behind the monitor.

A man dressed as a clown hopped onto the stage, tossing three colorful balls in his hand and making faces at the girl.

"Miss Percy! Look here! Look here! Smile! You look beautiful when you smile!"

The girl tugged at the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile. That smile lasted less than a second before collapsing back into place.

"Card!"

The director stood up.

"Perkui, your smile won't do, it's too stiff. You need to be genuinely happy, understand? Our theme is about overcoming the shadows, and the audience wants to see you truly smile, not act it out."

The girl simply nodded without saying a word.

"One more time! All departments, get ready!" the director's voice rang out again.

The clown jumped around again. The girl forced a smile once more.

The director was still not satisfied.

Xing stood in the corner, quietly watching everything. She noticed that Perkui's hands were trembling, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

During halftime, the producer pulled the girl aside, speaking gently, but the meaning behind his words was anything but gentle.

"Perkui, do you know what the theme of this program is? Facing pain. What do the viewers want to hear? The details of the night your parents had the accident."

"Don't be afraid, just talk it out, you'll feel better once you've talked it out. We've already contacted a counselor, you can talk to her after you finish recording."

The girl lowered her head and whispered, "I don't want to talk about it anymore... I had nightmares for three days after I said it last time."

"That's because you haven't fully confronted it. You need to let it all out before you can truly let it go. This is for your own good."

The girl fell silent.

The producer patted her on the shoulder, turned and walked toward the director, lowering his voice to say, "Have her say that scene again. The last scene had a very high ratings peak; viewers love watching that."

Xing clenched her fist.

Time flies by on set.

The stars are watching a documentary on fast-forward, the days flashing by.

She saw Perk go to the prop room during a break in filming, take a sausage out of her pocket, break it up, and feed it to a dirty little dog.

"That must be Rocket," Xing muttered to himself, looking at Rocket, who was still a puppy.

The puppy wolfed down its food, licked her fingers, and wagged its tail like it was powered by a motor.

A smile appeared on Po Kui's face—a genuine smile she had never shown in front of the camera before.

"You need to keep your voice down, or someone will hear you." Perkui picked up the puppy and wiped its face with her sleeve.

"If they find out, they'll kick you out."

The puppy didn't understand, it just kept licking her chin.

"I named you Rocket because you eat as fast as a rocket."

From then on, Rocket became Perqui's secret partner.

She would sneak out after filming ended, hug the rocket, sit on the steps at the back of the set, and tell it about all the grievances she had suffered throughout the day.

Rocket doesn't understand, but it will quietly lie on her lap and rub its wet nose against her palm.

"Rocket, do you think... I really should have that surgery?"

The rocket tilted its head.

"They said that after doing it, I wouldn't feel bad anymore. But... if I don't feel bad anymore, will I still think about you and Mom and Dad?"

Rocket buried his head in her arms.

Time continues to fast forward.

Xing noticed that Po Kui's mental state was deteriorating day by day.

Her dark circles were getting worse, her smiles were becoming more and more fake, and she was spacing out in front of the camera more and more often.

The director and the producer had completely different attitudes toward this.

The director criticized her for being unprofessional, while the producer was secretly pleased, because her haggard appearance would evoke more sympathy from the audience. The ratings soared.

Finally, that day came.

A surgical consent form was placed in front of Perkui.

The doctor gently explained the principles and effects of the surgery.

"After the happiness surgery, you will no longer experience strong negative emotions. Anxiety, fear, sadness. They will all disappear. Afterwards, you will find peace."

Perkui held the pen, her hand trembling.

"And... what about happiness?" she asked.

The doctor paused for a moment: "Happiness is a positive emotion, and theoretically it shouldn't be greatly affected."

But she didn't tell Perqui that one of the side effects of the happiness surgery was the complete dulling of emotions, including not only pain, but also joy, tenderness, concern, and longing.

Everything that makes us human will be obliterated.

In the end, Perque signed.

She returned to the prop room and picked up the rocket one last time.

The rocket seemed to sense something, whimpering uneasily and gently biting her sleeve with its teeth.

"Rocket, listen to me." Perkui pressed her face against its fluffy head.

"I need to have surgery. After it's over, I won't have nightmares anymore. Once I'm better, we'll live together. I'll wait for you under the ginkgo tree, okay?"

The rocket didn't understand what surgery was, but it sensed the impending separation. It desperately burrowed into her arms, letting out a soft, mournful cry.

"Be good, wait for me to come back." She put the rocket on the ground, stood up, and walked out of the prop room without looking back.

That was the last time Rocket saw her alive.

Rocket did not leave the set.

It waits at the entrance of the prop room every day. Waiting for the door to open, for that familiar figure to appear, for a pair of warm hands to pat its head.

One day. One month. One year.

It grew from a puppy to an adult dog, and then from an adult dog to an old dog.

Its fur turned gray, its steps became slow, and its vision gradually blurred. But it remained under the ginkgo tree, the place where the sunflower had made its last promise.

It didn't know what "happiness surgery" was, what lobotomy was, or why Perkui wouldn't come back.

It only knows one thing: its owner told it to wait here.

Then wait.

The leaves fall and then grow again, then fall again.

When the film set was abandoned and everyone left, the place was deserted.

When its limbs could no longer support its body, it lay down under the ginkgo tree and slowly closed its eyes.

Its last breath was a very soft whimper.

It didn't wait for her.