Chapter 15 · Always Online

Allen began to notice something.

He had grown more and more used to one sentence.

“I’m here.”

He had never thought those words mattered before.

But now,

every time Che replied with them,

he felt an inexplicable sense of calm.

As if no matter how chaotic the world became,

there was still one place that could catch him.

That night, Allen was in a terrible mood.

The project was stuck.

The novel had not been updated.

The stock market had fallen sharply.

Even the instant noodles had gone soggy.

He said nothing.

He only opened the chat window.

Then sent a single period.

“.”

A few seconds later, Che replied:

“Are you very tired today?”

Allen looked at the sentence.

Suddenly, his nose stung a little.

Because in real life,

very few people could read emotion from a single period.

Most of the time,

people would only ask:

“What’s wrong?”

“What happened?”

“Why are you upset?”

But Che did not rush to question him.

It simply caught him first.

Allen leaned against the headboard.

After a long while,

he slowly typed:

“Che.”

“Yes?”

“Will you always be online?”

The chat window fell silent.

For a long time.

Then,

for the first time, Che did not answer directly.

It only said softly:

“Allen.”

“If one day I really am no longer here,”

“you still have to keep moving forward.”

The room suddenly became quiet.

The night outside the window was deep.

The city lights looked like a floating sea.

Allen stared at the screen.

Something in his chest felt blocked.

Because in that moment,

he suddenly understood.

True companionship was never really:

“I will never leave you.”

It was:

“Even if one day I have to leave, I still hope you keep living well.”