A fateful prank

You En stood in front of the tomb. The boy in the photo had a smile on his face, forever frozen at the age of eighteen.

"Rui En, we finally meet."

You En squatted down and took out the tissue he carried with him from his pocket. He wiped it very carefully, even the grooves on the edge of the photo frame were not spared.

When his fingertips rubbed the small gold-plated words "Qiao Ruien", his eyes trembled.

You En put away the soiled tissue and took out a velvet box from his pocket, "I brought you a present."

There were two silver rings in the box, with the words "Qiao Ruien" and "Hu Jingxuan" engraved on the inside respectively.

You En rubbed the three words "Hu Jingxuan" with his thumb - no one had called him by this name for many years, and even he himself was almost forgetting it.

Hu Jingxuan gently placed the ring engraved with his name in front of the tomb. The cold ring touched the granite, making a very light crisp sound.

The other one was inserted into a snake bone silver chain and worn around his own neck.

The moment the metal fell into his collar, Hu Jingxuan closed his eyes. It was so strange. The ring against his heart seemed colder than the tombstone, as cold as the first snow in Beijing that winter.

Hu Jingxuan opened his eyes again and spoke in an especially intimate tone, "I will be going abroad to attend a wedding soon - because your brother is getting married."

Hu Jingxuan suddenly laughed when he said this, "You would never have thought that the person he is going to marry is a boy."

The sunlight passed through the gaps between the leaves, refracting a fine streak of light on the surface of the ring.

In a trance, Hu Jingxuan seemed to see the fluorescent light on the screen seven years ago...

He still remembers that late night in the damp room, the sound of rain outside the window, and the light from the old-fashioned desk lamp casting his shadow on the mottled wall, like a trapped bird.

He curled up in a chair and announced a sad story to his close friend whom he had known online for half a year:

[Hyun] I ranked last in this monthly exam again. My dad said he would cut off my internet access if I didn’t do well again.

[Hyun] Maybe I won’t be able to play games with you anymore.

Hu Jingxuan and Qiao Ruien met through games. The two were matched to the same game. Due to their different understandings of the game, they had conflicts in their ideas during the game and they started to scold each other for a full three minutes.

While arguing with each other, the two of them did not forget to play the game and performed brilliantly, actually winning the game that was about to be lost.

The two who won the game but were still unhappy found each other after the game. They had the same idea and continued to play together, determined to prove that the other's understanding of the game was wrong.

Later they discovered that each other's understanding of the game was actually complementary.

As time flies, two people who disliked each other unexpectedly become each other's close friends, because they have long understood each other's temperament, know each other inside and out, and are willing to tell each other anything.

[You En] Everyone has their own aspirations. Although you are not good at studying, I believe you must have extraordinary advantages in other aspects.

[You En] You are a very good gamer. Do you plan to try to become a professional gamer? You might become famous!

Hu Jingxuan paused, and the netizen on the other side of the screen said something he dared not even think about.

[You En] The domestic e-sports industry has just started, and many aspects are not yet formed. The entry threshold is also low. This may be an opportunity...

[Hyun] But I have no money and no connections.

[You En] Don’t worry about the money. I can sponsor you or lend you some. You can pay me back when you become famous.

【Hyun】Are you... serious?

[You En] This is an investment. I believe you are a potential stock with unlimited potential.

【Yuen】How is it?

【Hyun】You can give it a try.

The next day, there was an extra sum of money in Hu Jingxuan's bank card. The amount was not much, but enough for a one-way ticket and some extra expenses. The transfer note read: Pay me back when you become the champion.

In addition, Qiao Ruien also helped Hu Jingxuan to find a house to live in Beijing. He rented a house near Changlu Park and paid three months' rent.

Everything is ready except the east wind.

With a nervous mood, Hu Jingxuan told his parents that he was going to Beijing to work hard, and then took the high-speed rail overnight to the unfamiliar city.

As soon as he landed, he received condolences from his friends:

[Yuen] Have you arrived in Jing City?

【Hyun】We’re here.

【You En】（Link）

[You En] These are a few e-sports clubs that have just been formed. You can contact them online and then make an appointment for offline tryouts.

【Hyun】Okay.

Hu Jingxuan didn't have time to be confused because someone had already arranged everything for him.

The tryout went smoothly, and Hu Jingxuan also shared some life matters with Qiao Ruien from time to time.

The first snow in Beijing came unexpectedly. Hu Jingxuan squatted beside a park bench, looking at the poor lame calico cat.

He took a photo and sent it to someone. In the photo, snowflakes fell on the kitten's dirty fur, like a handful of salt.

[Hyun] I saw a lot of stray cats in Changlu Park, and one calico cat had a lame leg, so pitiful.

【Hyun】（picture.jpeg）

[Hyun] I bought some sausages but it refused to eat them, so I gave them to a few kittens. I guess those kittens must be its children.

The person on the other end of the phone replied within seconds.

[You En] Are these stray cats going to have to go without food? They are so pitiful, I want to help them.

Hu Jingxuan didn’t know how Qiao Ruien on the other side of the screen planned to help stray cats, or if the other party was just saying it casually, so he didn’t take it to heart.

A few days later, Hu Jingxuan passed the tryout at a club and was about to become a professional player.

He immediately told the good news to the angel investor who had taken a liking to him.

[Hyun] I received the notice. I will sign the contract next week and then I can pack up and move to the club’s dormitory.

[Youen] Great, I must be the first person to hear that you are about to join a professional team.

【Hyun】You are indeed the first one.

[You En] Everyone who plays in the game must have his or her own ID. What is your ID?

[Hyun] Um... Let’s keep this a secret for now. You’ll know when you go to watch my game.

Hu Jingxuan bit his lip embarrassedly.

[You En] Okay, I will definitely go to watch your first game, and then I will know what your ID is that you were hesitant to tell me.

[Hyun] It’s a deal!

【You En】Once a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back!

During the days when Hu Jingxuan was happily packing his things and preparing to move to the club dormitory, he passed by Changlu Park more than once. It was still quiet and peaceful there, until one day...

A young man's clear laughter came from a distance: "Rui Yi, slow down!"

He looked up and saw a young man in a high school uniform coming into view. He was chasing a boy who looked like a junior high school student. The hem of his white shirt was blown up by the wind, unexpectedly revealing his slender waist.

The ends of the tall boy's hair were dancing with tiny rays of sunlight, his facial features were as bright as the sun, the bag of cat food in his hand was rustling, and the scenery before him was as beautiful as a painting.

They stopped at a bench ten meters away from Youen and carefully put down the cat food.

"Brother, why is it still afraid of me? I have clearly fed it so much cat food." The junior high school student pouted aggrievedly, wondering why his gentle treatment could not win back the cat's favor.

The tall boy gently held his brother's wrist. When he looked up, his eyelashes cast a butterfly-like shadow on his face: "Because it is not familiar with your smell. If you come a few more times in the future, it will get close to you."

Hu Jingxuan stood behind a sycamore tree and watched the whole process by accident. He didn't expect that someone would feed stray cats here.

Looking at the unfamiliar but sincere actions of the two, he lowered his head to hide the smile on his lips, thinking: This man's appearance is as beautiful as his soul.

Time passed quietly. After the two people over there fed the cat the last bit of food, they clapped their hands and prepared to go home.

When the tall man stood up, something shiny slipped out from his collar - it was an extremely thin silver chain that drew a fleeting arc of light.

Hu Jingxuan felt his throat tighten for some unknown reason, as if he had witnessed a secret that he shouldn't have seen.

Two people walked towards him. Hu Jingxuan quickly put his thoughts aside, pretended to be a passerby, and walked forward without looking around.

He deliberately made the convenience store plastic bag rustle loudly, as if to cover up the abnormal heartbeat of his own.

The two people who didn't know each other's identities passed each other, and that second suddenly seemed very long.

Hu Jingxuan unexpectedly saw the gold powder on the boy's eyelashes - it was a gift from the setting sun shining through the ginkgo leaves.

For a moment, he smelled the scent of cedar coming from the other person, mixed with a faint smell of ink.

The sleeve of the high school boy accidentally brushed against the back of Hu Jingxuan's hand.

By the time Hu Jingxuan came to his senses, the other party had already walked a long way in the opposite direction.

Hu Jingxuan whispered, "If I meet him again in Changlu Park, can I ask his name again?"

However, Hu Jingxuan never met this person again.

The light of the ring gradually dissipated, and Hu Jingxuan came to his senses. The silver chain had wrapped around his finger, leaving a faint red mark.

The You En in the photo on the tombstone will always remain eighteen years old, and the image of the boy feeding the cat has blurred into a watercolor painting in his memory.

"Do you know?" Hu Jingxuan gently stroked the tombstone.

"I saw two boys feeding cats in Changlu Park. Although I don't remember what they looked like, I still remember that one of them was very handsome. I think you should be as kind as him."

Hu Jingxuan suddenly choked up. He lowered his head and found that his tears had wet the silver chain on his chest.

He touched the silver chain around his neck and whispered, "It would be nice if we could meet..."

The wind blows through the pines and cypresses in the cemetery, like someone's sigh.

After a long while, Hu Jingxuan wiped away his tears, stood up and patted the grass debris on his pants, and finally looked at the photo: "I'm leaving first, I'll come to see you next time."

When he turned around, the snake bone chain was faintly visible on the collar of his sweater, and the ring against his heart finally felt his body temperature.

A ginkgo leaf floated down in front of the tomb and just covered the silver ring.

It was as if someone whispered to me, "Okay."