The day I went public with my childhood sweetheart, the genius Go prodigy took his own life. Reporters found his study filled with cabinets of antidepressants and a portrait of my profile, meticulously pieced together with black and white Go stones. His mentor’s voice choked with emotion: "That kid lost his parents when he was twelve. Chloe, you were his last tether to this world..." When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I lost a game of Truth or Dare. My childhood friend's secret boyfriend was excitedly suggesting, "Why don't you two post a relationship announcement?" Chapter 1 News of Ethan Cole, the genius Go prodigy, winning seven consecutive games and breaking the undefeated record of a legendary master caused a massive stir back in the States. With his signature black trench coat, devastatingly good looks, and an aura of aloof indifference, he was absolutely slaying on every video platform, harvesting a legion of fangirls. During a livestream interview after his return, a young reporter teased, "God-tier Ethan, many of your new female fans are very curious about your relationship status. Care to share?" A staff member tugged at the reporter, whispering, "Did you not do your homework? Don't ask. He never answers questions unrelated to Go, and he especially hates gossip." The young reporter visibly tensed up. But unexpectedly, Ethan took the microphone. His pitch-black eyes stared unblinkingly into the camera lens, as if looking through it to lock eyes with someone specific. His clenched fingertips trembled slightly, as if it took every ounce of his strength to say: "I'm sorry. I like you." It was clearly a confession, yet the desperate sense of putting everything on the line was suffocating. When the camera panned to Ethan's phone, the lit screen displayed the relationship announcement post from me and my childhood friend on Instagram. But at the time, no one paid attention. The internet was still immersed in the joy of his victory, frantically guessing how excellent the girl must be to make a genius feel inferior. That night, news of Ethan's suicide due to depression rocketed to the top of the trending list. "I like you" became his final words. The next day, when a reporter approached me, wanting to take me to Ethan's apartment, my childhood friend, Josh Miller, screeched before I could react: "Lady, you must have the wrong person. How could Chloe Evans have anything to do with God-tier Ethan? She can't even figure out Ludo, let alone Go. I'm a loyal fan of Ethan's, the president of his fan club chapter. If you want to know what's going on, you should take me." I gently kicked Josh, but I had to agree with him. To me, Ethan was an existence from a completely different dimension. In my eyes, he was just a taciturn genius in a field I knew nothing about. Chapter 2 Ethan's apartment was in a quiet suburb. Pushing open the study door, the first thing that caught my eye was a massive portrait of a girl's profile, created entirely from black and white Go stones. Delicate, exquisite, breathtaking. Every detail revealed the creator's intense, unyielding emotion—a love that endured until death. It made you want to take a picture. If that girl wasn't me. I walked in, staring at the cabinets filled with antidepressant bottles labeled in foreign languages. Ethan's mentor, a titan in the Go world, sighed deeply behind me, his voice choking up. "That kid had a hard life. Abused since childhood, and at twelve, he watched his parents beat each other to death. He became an orphan." "Chloe, you were his last tether to this world." My gaze shifted to a glass display case nearby. Inside was a broken strawberry hair clip, a half-eaten bag of dried mangoes, and a small note I had accidentally thrown out the window during study hall while chatting with Josh. It read: "Damn, I just realized guys look so hot in black trench coats." ... These pieces of trash I had casually discarded were treasured like precious gems. In contrast, his valuable championship certificates and trophies were carelessly shoved into a corner. "So, he chose to give up on life after seeing my announcement?" The mentor's eyes were red. "All these years, Ethan was placed on a pedestal. He looked glorious on the surface, but his mental state was getting worse and worse. Every night, he could only sleep briefly while looking at your photo." I couldn't help but ask, "Master, why exactly did Ethan like me..." Before I could finish, a sharp pain shot through my brain. Before consciousness faded, I saw the mentor's mouth moving, but I couldn't hear a sound. Chapter 3 When I opened my eyes again, I was at the post-graduation party. We were a few rounds deep into Truth or Dare. Josh was watching Ethan's livestream interview while discussing the relationship announcement caption with his new secret boyfriend on my phone. I woke as if from a dream and frantically stopped them. "Don't post that. Pick another punishment." A guy next to us shoved Josh playfully. "Yo, you got rejected again." "Chloe, what's up? Can't handle the game today?" Seeing my genuine panic, Josh ignored them and stammered, "But I just posted it... Chloe, don't panic, it's only been a minute. I'm deleting it now." On the livestream, Ethan had just put down his phone and was being guided by staff to take questions. Crap. He must have already seen it. I didn't have time to explain. I immediately got up to catch a cab to the Go club, simultaneously starting a voice call with Ethan on WeChat. Even though I had absolutely no memory of ever adding him. Once connected, his voice carried an imperceptible surprise and cautious probing: "Chloe Evans?" It was the first time I heard Ethan say my name. His voice was naturally deep and bewitching, unexpectedly tugging at my heartstrings. "The relationship post is fake. It was a punishment for losing Truth or Dare. Wait for me, I'm coming to the Go club right now." Silence on the other end for about five seconds. If not for the sound of his breathing losing its rhythm and the trembling "Okay" at the end... I would have thought I was too late again. After hanging up. I let out a breath, slowly leaning my head back against the seat and closing my eyes. Ethan, I want to see just how crazy you really are. A bright future, the title of a genius, wealth, status, even his bone-deep love for Go. He was willing to abandon it all without a second thought... When I arrived at the Go club, the reporters had already left. On the way, Josh posted on his timeline: "How did he just cancel the interview after one phone call? That's not Ethan's style. WTF, which siren bewitched our God-tier Ethan into skipping work?" I commented instantly: "Is it possible you know this siren..." Josh: "Who? Who is it! Is it the school beauty, Sophie? Then it's fine. Although our preferences differ, we're both men, I understand him." Me: "..." The autumn wind was bleak. The boy stood under the streetlamp. Who knows how long he had been waiting? The black trench coat made his skin look even paler. Six-foot-one, broad shoulders, long legs. The fluid lines of his muscles filled out the coat perfectly. He didn't have to do anything, didn't have to pose; just standing there was eye-catching enough. No wonder he went viral online. When our eyes met, Ethan's dark, indifferent eyes suddenly lit up, rippling like water. Subtle dimples appeared at the corners of his mouth, and his gaze glued itself to me. It gave me the feeling of a starving predator in a barren snowfield suddenly spotting food—eyes glowing green. It was intense, almost too much to look at directly. Was he this happy just to see me? Even though I received plenty of love letters at school, Josh always teased me about being a "player" or a "tease." But when I took the hot drink Ethan handed me, the moment our fingertips touched, my heart still skipped a beat. Jasmine milk tea, 30% sugar. My favorite order from my favorite spot. "Senior..." I lifted my chin, looking up slightly to meet his gaze. "You can call me Chloe." Ethan's ears turned crimson at a speed visible to the naked eye. His raven-black eyelashes trembled as if he were trying hard to suppress something. He lowered his head and gave a raspy acknowledgement. It felt like I was the one hitting on him. Josh complained countless times that despite being a top-ten honor student worthy of the honor roll... My face was too glamorous and lacked innocence, and my tone naturally carried a flirtatious lilt. I looked more like a delinquent slacker no matter how you sliced it. I tried to change the subject. "It's so cold out. Why didn't you wait inside?" "Forget waiting outside. When he heard you were coming, he clutched his phone and couldn't even speak. Cancelled the interview. He wanted to fly over to pick you up." A familiar middle-aged man walked out of the Go club, grinning from ear to ear. It was his mentor. "Ethan, why don't you invite her inside?" As the mentor tugged at Ethan's coat... A silver dagger fell from the boy's person. It hit the pavement with a crisp clang. The atmosphere instantly froze. The mentor's arm stiffened in mid-air. In that moment, I felt my brain short-circuit. If I hadn't rushed to the club, hadn't made that call. Right now, would Ethan have locked himself in his study, stared despairingly at that black and white profile, and turned the blade toward his wrist... A sharp pain pricked my heart. I quickly bent down to pick up the dagger. "Chloe!" Ethan's cool voice carried a trace of urgency. I didn't expect the blade to be so sharp. I just barely grazed the edge, and beads of blood rushed out from my fingertip. When Ethan used this to cut his wrist, he must have truly had zero will to live. Chapter 4 Inside the Go club, amidst the misty autumn rain. After disinfecting the cut, Ethan turned to get gauze. I grabbed the hem of his clothes with my good hand. "It's just a scratch. No need to bandage it. Just blow on it and it'll heal." Ethan froze, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Can I?" "Hm?" The boy leaned down, reverently lifting my injured finger. His pale pink lips slowly moved closer. I realized belatedly that he interpreted "blow on it" as him blowing on it. Our warm breaths mingled, the air heating up rapidly. Just as we were about to touch, the sound of the mentor pushing the door open made me yank my hand back. The mentor waved at me, signaling me to follow him out. Ethan's eyes darkened. He stared at my nearly healed wound, his gaze heavy. He watched me leave with puppy-dog eyes, a silent, humble plea for me to stay. It's not like we'll never see each other again, I mentally grumbled. But then I realized, in Ethan's eyes, I was just visiting on a whim. Whether I would come back was truly an unknown to him. ... "Chloe, were you scared? Getting hurt the first time you officially meet... that kid is going to cry from guilt. Don't be afraid, he has no ill intentions. That dagger... it's probably because..." Outside the door, the mentor stopped mid-sentence. I blinked. "It's okay, Master. I know." Shock washed over the mentor's face. "You know? Did Ethan tell you? No, impossible. With his personality, he would never tell you and burden you. I'm going to find out which traitor ran their mouth later." I answered silently in my heart: Master, you told me yourself. "Chloe, Ethan is really happy that you came. Maybe tonight he can take fewer sleeping pills. I'm not afraid to tell you, his dosage is getting higher and higher. It scares me. Chloe, really, thank you." When the mentor bowed his head, I saw a few gray hairs. My nose started to sting. ... When I returned to the room, Ethan was reviewing a game. His well-defined fingers held a black stone. It was incredibly pleasing to the eye—the image of a gentleman. He radiated a calmness and aloofness that didn't match his age. I approached silently. My hands were still wet from washing them, so I playfully flicked water at him twice. He turned his head, pupils dilating in shock that I had returned. He didn't wipe the water off even though I "bullied" him. His eyelashes were wet—I didn't know if he had cried or if it was my water droplets. Up close, I noticed a cut on his finger in the exact same spot as mine. For a Go player, does he care so little about his hands? I thought it, so I blurted it out. Ethan stood up helplessly, hiding his hand behind his back. "Chloe, I'm sorry." "Don't say those two words to me ever again." I tried to look fierce, but my voice was naturally soft, so it sounded more like flirting. "Why was that in the room?" I pointed at the dagger on the cabinet. "You touched it. It has your scent. I want to keep it." Ethan whispered his explanation, hiding nothing. I could already picture Ethan taking this knife back to his study and reverently placing it in a glass display case. Even though the heat wasn't on, my face started to burn. I paused for a moment. "The high school reunion next month. Are you going?" "Chloe, you don't hate me?" Ethan asked cautiously. "You really want me to hate you?" "No." I felt mischievous and leaned in closer, smiling. "So you want me to like you, then?" "Chloe..." Ethan gripped the Go stone tightly, his voice hoarse as he said my name. I felt like I was bullying him too much, so I took a step back. "Alright, sleep early tonight. Take fewer sleeping pills. If possible, don't take any. I'm leaving." "Okay." The disappointment in the boy's eyes was undisguised, like a dog abandoned in a storm by its owner. I couldn't help but lift my hand. Ethan naturally bent down, making it easy for me to ruffle his soft hair. "So obedient. Will you do anything I ask?" "Yes." I was just joking. I didn't expect Ethan to answer so decisively. I didn't know how to respond. The boy in front of me curved his lips, his tone humble yet serious, tinged with stubbornness. "I am willing to do anything for Chloe." A cold wind blew in from the window, and my heart missed a beat again. I heard my voice: "In that case, Ethan, I order you to live well."
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