Journey To Become A True God

Chapter 1: Breaking Up

My name is Ye Chen. I am 17 years old. I grew up with my grandfather in a remote village, and my life was no different from any other ordinary boy's. But everything changed after I left my grandfather's side. With no one to rely on, I had no choice but to live independently, taking on part-time jobs just to get by. Thanks to my decent grades, I was able to enroll at a school in the city to pursue a proper education.

I attended Hexing School. About three months after enrolling, I started dating a girl named Yu Ting. She had shoulder-length hair, stood around 155 centimeters tall, and had a slender figure. She wasn't the most beautiful girl in the school, but to me, she was everything.

We dated for about nine months. But after we entered our second year and were placed in different classes, Yu Ting started to change.

This is my story.

It was a Sunday, and both school and work were closed for the day. Yesterday had been Ye Chen's payday, so today he planned to invite Yu Ting out for a meal at Starbucks. It wasn't easy saving that money — every month he scraped by on his meager part-time wages, sometimes eating leftover food from the restaurant where he worked just so he could set enough aside for days like today.

But today, all his calls and messages to Yu Ting went unanswered. It made him uneasy.

"Where did Ting Ting go? Why isn't she picking up?" He had been ignored more and more often lately, and the frustration was building.

Ye Chen glanced at his phone screen — it was already noon. He decided to head out and grab something to eat.

After leaving his boarding house, he made his way to a nearby shopping area and found a small food stall to sit at.

"Uncle, one plate of fried noodles and a soda, please."

As he waited for his order, he watched the street idly. A loud engine roar cut through the air, and a sleek BMW sports car — worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — cruised past. Several nearby diners turned their heads to look.

The BMW pulled to the side of the road. When the door opened, Ye Chen's heart sank. The figure stepping out was Yu Ting.

A man stepped out from the driver's side — tall, well-dressed, with stylish hair and sharp features.

Yu Ting looped her arm through his and leaned close, her body language unmistakable. Even a fool could tell what kind of relationship they had.

Anger flared in Ye Chen's chest. He stood up from his seat and strode toward them.

"Ting Ting."

At the sound of her name, Yu Ting turned around. The moment she saw Ye Chen, her expression shifted to one of guilt and panic.

She quickly unlinked her arm from the man's. "Ye Chen — why are you here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Ye Chen's voice was tight. "Who is he? Why are you with him?"

"I… I…" Yu Ting stammered, at a loss for words.

"Who's this, Ting Ting?" the man beside her asked, studying Ye Chen with mild curiosity.

"He…" Yu Ting hesitated before answering quietly, "He's my ex-boyfriend."

The word hit Ye Chen like a blow. His jaw clenched.

"Oh, so this is the poor guy you always talk about." The man looked Ye Chen up and down with a dismissive smirk.

Ye Chen's hand balled into a fist. For a brief moment, he thought about striking her. Yu Ting flinched, squeezing her eyes shut in anticipation.

But he couldn't do it. No matter how furious he was, he couldn't bring himself to raise a hand against her.

He exhaled slowly. "Yu Ting… why are you doing this to me? Tell me — why does he matter more than I do?"

"You want the truth?" Her voice hardened. "Fine. I'm tired of being poor. You can't buy me nice clothes, or jewelry, or even a decent phone. But he can give me everything you can't."

"But I love you," Ye Chen said quietly.

"Love?" She let out a short laugh. "Can you eat love? Can love pay for things?"

Every word cut deep. He was poor — he knew that. But he had worked so hard, endured so much, all with the hope that one day things would be better.

"Fine." His voice went cold. "I must have been blind to have loved someone like you. From today onwards, we're done. Don't come looking for me ever again."

Without waiting for a response, Ye Chen turned and walked away.

The walk back was short — barely five minutes. But it felt much longer.

"Grumble…" His stomach growled. He had forgotten he hadn't eaten anything since morning. He rubbed his belly absentmindedly.

Checking the time, he saw he still had ten minutes before the next bus departed. He bought a few steamed buns and a bottle of water for the journey, then sent a message to his homeroom teacher requesting leave for a few days.

An hour later, the long-distance bus left the city. The trip from the city to his home village typically took six to seven hours, passing through several small towns and villages along the way. There were many passengers at first, but one by one they got off at their stops.

To pass the time, Ye Chen scrolled through his phone, but his mind kept wandering. Before he knew it, the bus had nearly reached the final stop — his village. He was the only passenger remaining.

With only a few kilometers left, the bus suddenly lurched and the driver struggled to keep it steady before pulling over to the side of the road.

"What's wrong, uncle?" Ye Chen called out.

"Not sure — let me check." The driver climbed out with his assistant to investigate. A flat tire.

"So what now?" Ye Chen asked.

"Sorry, young man. We can't continue tonight. You'll have to wait until morning, or you can sleep on the bus if you like."

"That's alright. I can walk the rest of the way." Ye Chen paid his fare and stepped off the bus.

The road ahead was dark — it was well past midnight, and the lighting was sparse. Fortunately, Ye Chen wasn't carrying any luggage, so he set off at a brisk pace.

He had only been walking for a few minutes when something unusual caught his attention. Up in the sky, the silhouette of an old man floated silently, dressed entirely in white, with long white hair drifting in the night air.

Ye Chen was a modern young man. He didn't believe in ghosts or supernatural beings. But seeing a figure suspended in midair above him rattled every logical thought out of his head.

The figure in the sky began drifting slowly toward him.

Ye Chen tried to stay calm. He really did. But as the old man drew closer and closer, his composure crumbled entirely.

"A GHOST!" Ye Chen screamed, and sprinted away with every ounce of strength he had.