Chapter 2 — The Call from Another Me

The moment my feet struck the ground, a sharp, agonizing pain surged through my ankle. I had sprained it, and severely. I knew they would hear the thud; I knew they would realize what I had done. But I could not afford to care. I pushed my palms into the earth, scrambled to my feet, and ran for my life. Leaving behind the sound of Chen’s startled cry, I did not look back once.

I burst into the internet cafe, threw myself onto a random computer, and finally accessed the enrollment portal. My fingers trembled as I punched in my candidate number and password, my mind racing. I glanced at the clock. Five minutes left. Still time. I clicked confirm.

"Incorrect password."

I froze. I double-checked the case sensitivity and typed it again.

"Incorrect password."

How could this be? My heart skipped a beat, then plummeted. I bit my lower lip until it stung, trying the last six digits of my ID. Nothing. My birthday. Nothing. Chen’s birthday. Still nothing. I cycled through every possible combination I could imagine, but the screen remained indifferent, displaying that cold, sterile notification. My fingers went numb against the plastic keys. A sudden, chilling memory flashed in my mind. During the two days of registration, Ying had borrowed my phone to "download a new game," claiming her connection was poor and asking me to turn on my hotspot. I hadn't thought twice about it. She had stood on the balcony for over ten minutes while Chen kept me distracted by showing me videos. It must have been then. She had changed my password. And Chen must have known. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe. It was alright; I could just reset the password. Three minutes remained. Every second felt like an eternity. The agonizing wait for the verification code seemed to stretch across a lifetime. Just then, Chen’s calls began to flood my phone, one after another. I silenced them, but his texts arrived like a barrage, painting my screen with panic.

"Qing, what is wrong? Where are you?"

"Why did you jump out of the window? What are you doing?"

"Whatever it is, we can talk about it. Don't keep this to yourself."

"Don't scare me like this. Answer me!"

"Ying and I are looking for you! Are you at an internet cafe?!"

"Answer me! Qing!! Please, answer me!!!"

I was shaking with rage, ignoring every single notification, my eyes glued to the screen for the code. Finally, it arrived. I reset the password, logged in, and watched the progress bar crawl forward. Eleven fifty-seven. Eleven fifty-eight. Eleven fifty-nine. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. The registration page finally loaded. Just as I reached for the mouse to correct my choices, the screen went black. My own terrified reflection stared back at me. Ying’s finger slowly retreated from the power button. She looked at me with a smirk that didn't reach her eyes.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

I turned my head, locking eyes with Ying. Chen’s silhouette appeared behind her. I dropped my gaze, and with a single blink, tears spilled over.

"I had a nightmare," I sobbed. "I dreamed I hadn't registered at all, that I’d missed the deadline."

"I was so scared, I was truly terrified..."

Ying frowned, clearly unconvinced, but Chen rushed forward and pulled me into an embrace.

"It’s not true, it’s not true. Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The more he comforted me, the harder I cried, though at least half of those tears were genuine. Once I calmed down, a crushing sense of despair washed over me, accompanied by the throbbing pain in my ankle. It was real; my preferences had been changed to a vocational college. Ying stood nearby, watching the dead computer. The suspicion in her eyes faded, replaced by a glint of smug satisfaction. She pretended to pat my back with mock sympathy.

"You’ve just been under too much pressure, that’s all. No wonder you aren't feeling well. Don't overthink it; with your hard work, you’ll definitely get into the top university."

"Next week, you’ll be holding your acceptance letter in front of the whole school."

I wiped my eyes. She was right. Next week, the results would be announced during the school assembly. The top ten students would receive their letters publicly to commemorate their success. Chen and Ying were among them. I knew they were waiting for that day. Chen nodded, whispering soft reassurances. He eventually carried me to the town clinic to have my ankle bandaged. Afterward, they fussed over me, refusing to leave until I was safely tucked into bed.

"Ying and I are heading back now. If you feel even a little bit unwell, send us a message."

"Don't keep everything bottled up, do you understand?"

I nodded with a forced smile. Chen reached out and gently stroked my hair.