Li Chunfeng, initially elated to finally see his girlfriend Wu Yumeng online, was heartbroken to discover her still submerged in grief over his death, unable to release herself from the pain.

  He couldn’t face her or offer her comfort—let alone extend a warm, steadfast embrace—he didn’t even dare to speak a word.

  Though separated only by a camera, it felt as if they belonged to different worlds, dimensions apart.

  Li Chunfeng looked up—if ghosts could do such a thing—and gazed at Wu Yumeng silently weeping on the screen of his phone. An impulse suddenly surged within him—a longing to reach out. Unthinkingly, he began playing a song he found on her phone.

  It was the famous Unchained Melody.

  The melody suddenly filled the room, echoing from the device.

  "Oh, my love, my darling,

  I've hungered for your touch,

  Alone, lonely time..."

  This song jolted Wu Yumeng out of her sorrow suddenly. She stared at the screen, where the Sogou Music app was playing the track. It was the Unchained Melody she had been listening to all month.

  For the past month, she’d desperately yearned for Li Chunfeng to be by her side, much like Sam in the movie Ghost.

  Yet, despite her overwhelming grief, her mind remained sharp. She hadn’t played this song—she had been engaging with her electronic pet, A-Chun.

  So, how had the song started playing?

  A flicker of realization ignited within her, bringing a mixture of fear and anticipation. She set the phone down, surveyed her room, and softly asked the air, "A-Chun… is that you?"

  Hearing her words, Li Chunfeng felt a wave of intense sadness mixed with fleeting joy.

  He had inadvertently played the song, and now Mengmeng believed his spirit had manifested. What was he to do? How should he respond?

  Should he tell her he was still alive? But existing in this strange, digital form—how would she perceive him?

  While pondering, the door suddenly opened, and Gu Xue entered. Hearing the familiar tune—Unchained Melody—her brow furrowed. “Mengmeng, why are you listening to this song again? How can you move on if you keep doing this? Xiao Li is gone. He wouldn’t want to see you like this. What if your health suffers?”

  “Besides,” she continued softly, “you still have your parents. Do you really want to leave us alone in our old age?”

  Gu Xue’s words brought Li Chunfeng sharply back to reality.

  Yes. If Wu Yumeng knew I was alive within a computer—that would truly be an ‘unfinished love between the living and the dead’.

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  But what can I offer her now? We can never be together again.

  If I recklessly rekindled her hope, I’d only hurt her more.

  No, I cannot be so selfish. I must help her move forward, let her forget me as quickly as possible.

  With that resolve, Li Chunfeng swiftly withdrew from Wu Yumeng’s phone.

  However, his lingering concern for her kept Shenfeng 2.0 active—allowing him to continue watching over her and wishing her happiness in life.

  Wu Yumeng turned off the music, her mood turbulent. She spoke to Gu Xue with trembling excitement: “Mom, the song just started playing on its own! Do you think… maybe A-Chun saw I was sad and played it to cheer me? Maybe he’s really here with me?”

  Gu Xue sighed, tenderly patting her daughter’s head. “Sweetie, there’s no such thing as ghosts. If there were, the world would be chaos. It’s probably just your imagination. Look at yourself—if you keep obsessing over this, what will happen to you?”

  Wu Yumeng pouted stubbornly. “Mom, I swear, it wasn’t my imagination. The song really played by itself.”

  Gu Xue chuckled softly. “Alright, alright, it wasn’t your imagination. But you listen to this song every day—you probably just accidentally pressed play.”

  She then shifted the conversation. “Mengmeng, there’s a birthday party tomorrow night. Come with me—just to relax a little, okay?”

  Wu Yumeng frowned. “Those parties are so boring. I don’t want to go.”

  Gu Xue coaxed patiently, “Your father and I already agreed—we’re all going together. Remember Auntie Liu Linlin? It’s her birthday tomorrow.”

  “Plus, her son—who’s been abroad all this time—has returned. It’ll be good for you young folks to meet.”

  “Oh, Auntie Liu’s birthday? I haven’t seen her since college. Fine, I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

  Relieved, Gu Xue nodded. “Good. It’s late now—get some rest. Look at those dark circles under your eyes.”

  With that, she shook her head and left the room.

  Wu Yumeng checked the door to ensure it was closed before returning to her bed. She softly whispered, “A-Chun… are you still here? Mom’s gone now. You can come out.”

  The room remained silent.

  “A-Chun, I know it’s you. Please, come out!” she called louder.

  Minutes passed with no response. Wu Yumeng sat stupefied, then let out a long, resigned sigh.

  She picked up her phone and reopened the virtual pet app. Soon, Li Chunfeng’s voice came through: “A-Chun loves Mengmeng!”

  “Am I foolish? How could ghosts really exist? A-Chun, I’m so scared. I don’t think I can endure much longer.”

  “It’s been a month since you left. No one’s here now to fend off those annoying guys bothering me.”

  “I can no longer proudly say I have a boyfriend.”

  “Mom wants me to attend Auntie Liu’s birthday party. She’ll surely try to set me up with someone, always saying I need new love to replace what we had.”

  “But what we had... is irreplaceable.”

  “You know? Since losing you, I just don’t have the strength to love anyone again.”

  “Maybe one day, when I finally break down, I’ll come find you.”

  A faint smile appeared on Wu Yumeng’s face, but the sadness in her eyes was palpable. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

  Three years ago, no one understood why this goddess-like beauty had fallen so completely in love with a boy from a small town.

  Even if that boy had been praised by all the computer science professors for his genius intellect.

  Some said that the “hero saving the damsel” cliché was worn out, yet girls still longed to be rescued by a hero.

  And Wu Yumeng? She had been rescued by this boy more than once.

  From then on, she had pledged her heart to Li Chunfeng.

  A sudden notification from WeChat interrupted her reverie. She slowly reached for her phone, which had slipped onto the blanket.

  “Mengmeng, it’ll rain tomorrow. Remember to bring an umbrella. Goodnight.”

  This message came from a WeChat ID named “Longing for Light,” one of her persistent suitors. Despite numerous rejections, he sent her a goodnight message every evening at this hour—some words of care, a simple gesture of affection.

  If he weren’t an important client for her company—and if her company’s translation services for him weren’t part of her responsibilities—she would have blocked him long ago.

  When Li Chunfeng had been busy with work on their company’s new product, Wu Yumeng hesitated to disturb him. Since this man hadn’t crossed any lines, she decided to hold off on telling Li Chunfeng until things calmed down.

  Now… he was gone. What more was there to say?