Chapter 1

The more a person grows, the more they come to understand this world. The aspirations and fantasies they once had will be shattered one by one by reality.

The things we once admired, once obsessed over, and once aspired to, seem to gradually fade away, but they can never be erased. They are hidden deep in our hearts, protected by a stubborn wall, not wanting to be invaded by reality. This is our garden of illusions, magnificent, bizarre, and absurd, yet filled with joy and vitality.

— The Wandering Toad

A group of young people were working hard to load things onto a minivan. They were wearing very exaggerated costumes, each one beaming with joy, exuding a happy atmosphere.

Anyone familiar with popular elements could tell that these young people were cosplayers. Those who knew a lot about popular culture could even see that they were playing characters from a popular novel.

The girl in Xiao Lian's costume had a round face, lacking the queen-like demeanor of the original, instead appearing cute and lively. She was the most active among the young people, and anyone who saw her would say she was adorable. In contrast, the second female lead, Huang'er, originally a noble fairy, had a serene but somewhat cold demeanor, her incomparably beautiful face showing almost no expression.

A handsome young man clapped his hands and called out with a smile, "Our performance this time was great. Let's go to Wang Hai Tower later, and I'll treat everyone. No one is allowed to make excuses and leave early."

The young people cheered and the atmosphere became extremely lively. They surrounded the handsome young man like stars around the moon, showering him with flattery. Some food lovers were already listing dishes, eager to feast.

Xu Le smiled kindly and worked hard to load the last box of props onto the car. Just as he was about to get in and find a seat, the handsome young man who was treating everyone saw him, his lips curling slightly. He parted the crowd, walked over, and stopped him, saying gently, "Xu Le! Thank you for helping our club with the heavy work. We should have invited you to dinner tonight, but our car is already full, and there's no more space. You might as well go home first to avoid crowding with us."

Xu Le's round, chubby face, which had been smiling kindly, froze slightly. He glanced at the Huang'er cosplayer, Qu Lei, who was still standing away from the crowd, showing no expression. Qu Lei seemed to be completely unaware of what was happening, her eyes slightly closed, leaning against a tree as if resting.

Xu Le quickly turned back, his face once again showing a kind smile. He chuckled, "I need to go home early today. I couldn't have joined you for dinner anyway. I'll leave first."

Xu Le waved to everyone, but soon realized that no one was looking at him. His efforts were in vain, and he could only awkwardly put his hand down and reluctantly leave the group.

After Xu Le had walked far away, the young people burst into laughter. Someone called out loudly, "That little fatty actually has a crush on Qu Lei, and he's been chasing her relentlessly, even joining our club. He probably doesn't even know what characters we're playing today!"

Someone else quickly joined in, laughing loudly, "With his bear-like appearance, as fat as Zhu Bajie, Qu Lei would never look at him! Qu Lei and our club leader, Gao Wenhao, are a perfect match!"

Qu Lei, who was playing Huang'er, heard this and frowned slightly, saying unhappily, "I have no relationship with Gao Wenhao. Please don't pair us up. I have something to do and need to leave early. I can't join you for dinner."

Qu Lei didn't explain further and hurriedly left, not even changing out of her costume.

Gao Wenhao, the handsome young man who was treating everyone, and the leader of the cosplay club, immediately looked displeased. He said nothing and got into the car. The atmosphere became somewhat tense, and soon someone blamed Xu Le, muttering curses under their breath, saying extremely harsh things.

Xu Le wiped his hands, feeling somewhat depressed. He and Qu Lei were junior high school classmates. When he first entered school, he was involuntarily attracted by this girl's demeanor. However, his personality was very different from Qu Lei's, and because he was very fat, he didn't meet the standards of Qu Lei, who was somewhat appearance-focused. Despite his efforts, he still couldn't attract the attention of his goddess.

This time, he had joined the group with a thick face, working hard for several days, but was still excluded by the members of Qu Lei's club.

The event was held at an exhibition center, far from Xu Le's home. As he was calculating how to take the subway and then transfer to a bus, he reached into his pocket and his face immediately changed, becoming very bitter.

"Damn! I forgot to bring money when I left home. I can't take the subway!"

Xu Le thought about going back to ask the club to give him a ride, but he saw the minivan speed past in front of him without even a wave. Only the dust it raised was left behind, making Xu Le's face even more bitter.

"Looks like I have to walk back. It's about twenty kilometers from here to my home. I wonder if I can make it back tonight."

Xu Le rubbed his hands, feeling helpless, and set out on the long journey home.

More than four hours later, it was completely dark. Xu Le was still on his way home, but fortunately, his physical condition wasn't too bad, thanks to regular exercise.

In the first year of junior high, when he pursued Qu Lei, she said, "I don't like fat people. If you can reduce to 120 pounds, I'll consider it." He worked hard to exercise, starting a three-year weight loss plan.

He ran every morning and evening, did push-ups and pull-ups during breaks, and even bounded up all the stairs, even though he was mocked by his classmates, he never wavered.

Unfortunately, with a lot of exercise and during his growth spurt, his height increased dramatically. In the second year of junior high, his height grew from 156 cm to 175 cm, and his weight couldn't be reduced, still weighing 190 pounds. Xu Le, noticing that basketball players were particularly "slim," foolishly joined the school basketball team in the second year. Of course, this was useless. By the third year, his height had grown to 183 cm, and although he had lost more than 30 pounds, he still weighed 160 pounds, far from Qu Lei's requirements. Even though he had developed a six-pack under his clothes, his naturally round face and large frame still made him look like a chubby little fatty.

Xu Le was already extremely tired. He looked up at the starry sky, and the brilliant stars improved his mood. He had always liked to look up at the stars since he was a child, and every time he saw a sky full of stars, he felt much better. However, with urbanization, it was rare to see such a night sky.

He looked up for a while, then lowered his head slightly. But the next second, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He hurriedly looked up at the night sky again and saw the stars twinkling like brilliant fireworks, the Milky Way spanning the sky, and the constellations arranged in order...

But... how could such a magnificent starry sky be seen in a city with severe air pollution?