Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

For nearly two months during the entire summer vacation, Lu Ze and Bangya stayed at home and played the game all the way to the ninth level, which was also the final level of the Gate of Truth.

The game in level nine is Pac-Man.

The graphics are simple, and the gameplay is classic.

Simply eat the light spots in the maze, avoid the ghosts, and collect the energy beans to fight back.

The two worked together seamlessly, one controlling the direction and the other planning the route.

With the last energy bean about to be eaten, clearing the level is just around the corner.

Bonya suddenly grabbed Luze's hand.

The Pac-Man on the screen is caught by the ghost, emitting a short sound effect, and the screen freezes on the words "GAME OVER".

"What's wrong?" Lu Ze turned around and looked at her with some confusion.

They were so close to completing the game.

Bonya lowered her head, her gray eyes mostly obscured by the shadow of her bangs.

She placed her hand on the back of Lu Ze's hand, pressing down slightly with her fingertips.

I don't want to finish the game.

Why?

Lu Ze was somewhat surprised. He put down the controller, turned around, put his hand on Bangya's shoulder, and looked at her seriously.

Bonya remained silent for a long time.

When she looked up again, her eyes held a confusion that Lu Ze had never seen before.

"You know... if we accepted all our past memories, would we still be ourselves?"

Lu Ze was stunned after hearing this. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

He knew what Bonya was worried about, and he understood her as well, because he had thought about it himself.

If all his memories returned, would the "Bangya" he knows now still be the one he loves?

If past memories overwrite the present personality, does that mean the present her has disappeared?

This world is fake.

Everyone is just a string of electrical signals.

This is the conclusion the two reached after piecing together all the fragments of their memories.

But Lu Ze doesn't think of himself as fake. They can think, have their own feelings, and are living, independent individuals.

Looking at Bangya's slightly pursed lips, Lu Ze felt a pang of sadness.

He couldn't help but reach out and gently pull her into his arms.

"If you don't want to complete the game, then we won't."

His deliberately soft voice rang in Bangya's ears.

"Anyway, they can't find us. We can finish college, work, get married, have children, and grow old together in this world."

Lu Ze comforted her with words while gently patting her back.

"Let's face this final hurdle until our very last breath!"

After hearing this, Bangya buried her face in his chest, her voice soft and sweet.

"Don't you think I'm selfish?"

"How could that be?" Lu Ze gently patted Bangya's head. "It's only natural. After all—who wants to disappear?"

Lu Ze also shared his feelings.

Bonya didn't say anything more, but simply buried her face in his chest.

Lu Ze felt a small patch of dampness on the fabric of his shirt.

That evening, Luze and Bangya uninstalled the installation package of Gate of Truth from the computer.

The installation files were dragged into the recycle bin and emptied.

The folder that held their entire summer vacation memories eventually disappeared from the desktop.

In the days that followed, they never mentioned the Gate of Truth again.

The admission notices arrived as scheduled, and both of them were admitted to Binhai University.

After the start of the semester, they were like any ordinary college couple, attending classes together, eating together, studying together in the library, and going shopping and watching movies together on weekends.

Life was simple yet fulfilling.

In the year he graduated from university, Lu Ze proposed to Bang Ya under the sycamore tree on campus.

She nodded, her eyes slightly red.

They got married after graduation.

The wedding was small, with only close friends invited.

Shen Zihao served as the best man and cried his eyes out on stage. Li Ming and several old classmates had to help him get off the stage.

I thought life would continue peacefully like this.

Until a cry broke their routine.