Chapter One: The Username

Cheng knew “she” meant his mother. A heartbeat later, he no longer knew her birthday. Her identification number remained in his mind, but the annual calendar reminder had become a blank gray block. His mother called just then. “Still working, Xiao Ye? Don't let those ribs spoil. And next month—” The whine returned. “What about next month?” “Nothing.” Lin Sui hesitated. “What was I going to say?” Cheng's blood cooled. The account was not exposing his private life. Each post removed a memory connected to the password, first from him and then from the people around him. The posts were receipts. His password manager showed the same string protecting his email, album, and diary.