Chapter Three: Cave of White Bones – Cumin-Grilled Salmon with a Distinctive Flavor

Time passed swiftly. While everyone was resting and playing around, the clock's hands had already moved to half past eleven at night. No one could recall who first remarked, “It’s already eleven thirty.”

At once, the group fell silent, ceasing whatever they were doing. Even Chen Hao and Gu Mengyan, who had been bickering incessantly, paused their squabble, exchanged a glance, snorted at each other, and began tidying up their things.

Gu Mengyan, as if she’d completely forgotten their earlier argument, approached Chen Hao after packing up. She slipped her arm through his and said, “Young Master Chen, where are we going for a late-night snack tonight? I’m telling you, I’m already tired of the places we went to earlier this week. Shouldn’t we try somewhere new tonight? And tomorrow’s the weekend—after working late all week, we can finally relax. Shouldn’t we go out and have some fun after supper?”

Chen Hao looked at her, utterly speechless. In this world, only this troublesome girl could have the audacity to pester him for dinner right after exchanging barbed words, acting as though nothing had happened. And not just dinner—she wanted to go out and enjoy herself afterward.

He couldn’t even remember when she’d become so fond of going out. Ever since she started university, she hadn’t lived at home—not even during holidays, claiming she was working and renting a place. After graduation, her workplace had provided her with a dorm, so Chen Hao actually knew little about Gu Mengyan’s private life now.

If they hadn’t ended up working in the same department at the same company, Chen Hao suspected Gu Mengyan might have vanished from his life altogether. Fortunately, that hadn’t happened, and he’d been given a chance to re-enter her life.

But even this wasn’t enough. Chen Hao had always worried about her—whether she was eating well, sleeping soundly, taking care of herself, or being taken advantage of or bullied. So he was always thinking up excuses and reasons to be part of her life.

For example, he’d ask her out to eat after work—under the pretense of making sure she was getting enough nutrition—or invite her to go shopping or see a movie on weekends. To outsiders, it looked as though Chen Hao was pursuing Gu Mengyan, which was why their friends often joked about the two of them.

What Chen Hao hadn’t expected was that, after a while, Gu Mengyan simply took his concern for granted. Now she would ask him to treat her and take her out to eat or play, of her own accord.

Chen Hao thought about it and decided there was nothing wrong with that. In his heart, Gu Mengyan was like a little sister—whatever she asked, he would try his best to fulfill.

Just like when she demanded some new delicacy earlier, all Chen Hao could do was smile helplessly and eventually agree.

He thought for a moment and suddenly had an idea. “Let’s go! I know just the place. Everyone, come along!”

With that, he grabbed his laptop and was the first to leave the office. Seeing that Chen Hao had a plan, the others naturally followed, gathering in cheerful groups as they headed out together.

None of them noticed that, even after being shut down and closed, Chen Hao’s laptop screen lit up on its own, with rows of green data streaming across it, reminiscent of a scene from The Matrix.

Even more bizarrely, after the screen went dark again, a faint green light seemed to flow from the computer, tracing along Chen Hao’s arm and gradually merging into his body. Yet no one noticed a thing.

Led by Chen Hao, the group quickly reached the spot he’d chosen for their late-night meal. They all looked up, dumbfounded, at the sign of the bustling shop.

“White Bone Cave Flavored Cumin-Grilled Salmon?” Bill Andre read the bizarre name aloud, his mouth twitching. “What is this? Who came up with such a weird name?”

Everyone turned to Chen Hao. Honestly, after living in this city for so long, it was the first time anyone had heard of such a strangely named restaurant. Was it new?

Even more surprising was Chen Hao’s expression—not the gleeful look of a child showing off a new toy, but one of astonishment, as if he too couldn’t believe this place existed, as if he were seeing it for the first time.

Standing close beside him, Gu Mengyan seemed to catch him mutter, “There really is such a place… That dream…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but it caught Gu Mengyan’s attention. Her expression grew strange and serious, and she stared at him intently, as if trying to read him.

Chen Hao hadn’t realized his odd reaction had been noticed. Feeling her gaze, he just smiled, “Come on! Don’t just stand there. Let’s go in. Honestly, this is my first time here too!”

Everyone exchanged looks. This wasn’t the Chen Hao they knew—he wasn’t the unreliable type to take them somewhere even he hadn’t been, especially not to a place with such a peculiar name.

Bill just shrugged nonchalantly. “Hey! Who cares? Since we’re here, let’s make the best of it—maybe the food’s really good!”

He pushed open the door and walked in, and the others followed.

The moment they entered, they were greeted by the rich aroma of cumin mingled with grilled charcoal, instantly whetting their appetites.

“Smells pretty good!” someone remarked.

Though it was nearly midnight, the place was packed, clearly a popular spot. No one in the bustling crowd paid Chen Hao’s group any mind, as if such late arrivals were commonplace.

Chen Hao, for his part, had never expected a restaurant from his dream to exist in reality, and with such thriving business. He looked around with interest.

The decor matched the name: the walls were made of faux stone painted a pale gray, with touches of green from plants. In some spots, realistic-looking bones were placed, making it feel as if they had truly entered a cave of bones.

Chen Hao found himself staring into the hollow eye sockets of one of these fake bones, transfixed. He thought he saw a faint green light flickering within. At first, he assumed the owner had placed green bulbs inside for effect. But on closer inspection, it seemed not to be the case—the eerie green glow seemed to emanate naturally, like a will-o’-the-wisp.

As a committed rationalist, Chen Hao didn’t believe in ghosts or monsters. He certainly didn’t think he’d stumbled into some supernatural event. So, determined to get to the bottom of it, he leaned in for a closer look.

He had no idea that this simple action would plunge him into a most extraordinary experience.

As he brought his eyes up to the hollow bone, the green light grew brighter and sharper, until it threatened to blind him.

Chen Hao tried to pull away, but found his body wouldn’t respond—he couldn’t move at all. Nor could he close his eyes or call out to those around him. It was like sleep paralysis: his mind was alert, but his body refused to obey.

It was the first time in his life he’d experienced anything like this, and panic began to set in. What’s happening to me? Is this some kind of poisoning? Or is there something strange about this green light?

But panic was useless. No matter how hard he struggled, nothing changed. The green light only intensified, and pain began to stab at his eyes.

The last conscious thought Chen Hao had was: This is it… I haven’t even gotten married yet!

He had no idea how much time had passed when his senses began to return. The pain in his eyes faded, and he opened them slowly, finding that his vision was unharmed—he could see the scene before him clearly.

Wait a minute? Something was wrong. Maybe his eyes were affected after all, because he seemed to be hallucinating. He distinctly remembered coming to the “White Bone Cave Flavored Cumin-Grilled Salmon” with Gu Mengyan and the others—so why was he lying in a forest now? At most, he should be lying in his own bed or in a hospital, not out in the woods.

He was certain he’d lost consciousness because of the green light. If Gu Mengyan and the others had found him unconscious, they’d have taken him home or to the hospital—not left him in a forest.

Yet, despite how illogical his surroundings seemed, everything felt vivid and real—not like a hallucination at all.

What on earth had happened?