Chapter 63
——The warm embrace comes from Qiao Ruiyi.
Yuan Xingyou's hands froze in mid-air, and his whole body seemed to be paused, and his ears and neck immediately turned red.
He could clearly feel Qiao Ruiyi's pounding heartbeat through the thin T-shirt, and the dampness gradually spreading across his shoulders.
“Rui, Ruiyi?” Yuan Xingyou’s voice trembled a little, and he was at a loss. “What on earth happened to you…”
Why is it so out of control?
"Xingyou, I'm sorry," Qiao Ruiyi's voice was muffled on his shoulder, with a strong nasal tone, "Can you please give me a hug?"
Yuan Xingyou did not ask any more questions, but let the other party hold him in his arms. He felt that the other party needed time to digest the surging emotions in front of him.
Qiao Ruiyi hugged Yuan Xingyou tightly and buried his face deeply in his shoulder, as if he wanted to pour out all the emotions that had been accumulated over the years.
Yuan Xingyou could feel the fabric on his shoulders quickly being soaked by his tears, but he just stood there quietly, raising one hand hesitantly, and finally gently placing it on Qiao Ruiyi's back.
"It's okay..." Yuan Xingyou comforted the other person awkwardly, his voice so soft as if he was afraid of disturbing something, "I'm here, I'll be with you."
The lights in the corridor stretched the shadows of the two people very long. The sounds of passers-by walking could be heard in the distance, but it seemed as if they were separated from them by a world.
Qiao Ruiyi's breathing gradually calmed down, but he showed no sign of letting go of the arm that was holding Yuan Xingyou.
"Xingyou, do you still remember my brother?" Qiao Ruiyi finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
He told the other person the truth about everything.
After Yuan Xingyou heard this, his body visibly stiffened. He slightly distanced himself so that he could see Qiao Ruiyi's expression clearly: "So..."
Qiao Ruiyi nodded, his eyes still red: "Brother...should have gone to see You En that day."
But I didn't expect that something unfortunate would happen on the road.
Yuan Xingyou felt mixed emotions when he heard this. He had been sponsored by You En before, and You En explained that he was sponsoring him because he had also received sponsorship from his friends.
If he connected all the information he had obtained so far, the person he should thank was not only You En, but also Qiao Ruiyi's brother - Qiao Ruien.
Qiao Ruiyi lowered his eyes, and he suddenly understood many things.
Why did the brother give up the birthday party and choose to feed stray cats - because he wanted to save money to support Youen's game.
But he still has two questions that he still can't figure out.
“Why Evergreen Park?”
They had never been to this place before, so where did his brother hear about it?
Yuan Xingyou seemed to have guessed the answer to this question, "Maybe it's because Youen happened to live nearby when he first came to Jing City."
He had heard You En mention before that the housing prices near Changqing Park were the cheapest in the entire Beijing city. When You En first came to Beijing, he lived there for a short period of time and only moved out after he became a professional player.
Qiao Ruiyi pursed his lips. He never thought that the problem he couldn't figure out was actually because of one person.
"Then... why did my brother choose July 15th to meet Youen? Does this date have any special meaning?"
This was the only issue that remained on Qiao Ruiyi's mind.
Yuan Xingyou suddenly had an idea. He looked up at Qiao Ruiyi and found that he was also looking at him, as if he also had something to say to him.
They both said in unison, "Is it the day when Youen first played in a match?"
Yuan Xingyou quickly took out his mobile phone and entered the keyword. The date displayed on the phone was exactly - July 15th.
Yuan Xingyou's pupils suddenly shrank. The day when Qiao Ruien got into trouble happened to be the day when Qiao Ruien was going to perform on stage. The coincidence was so crazy.
This fact was like a heavy stone pressing between the two of them.
Qiao Ruiyi turned his face away silently, not wanting the other person to see the vulnerability on his face.
"Rui...Rui Yi?" Yuan Xingyou asked cautiously. He was really worried about the other party's mood.
Qiao Ruiyi didn't answer, but his clenched fists revealed his mood.
The noise of the audience dispersing in the distance made this corner seem even more eerily quiet.
Yuan Xingyou slowly raised his hand and gently held Qiao Ruiyi's hand as if to comfort him.
"Too cruel..." Qiao Ruiyi finally looked Yuan Xingyou in the face. His red eyes were filled with broken light and crystal tears dripped down, almost causing him to break his heart.
"If there hadn't been that car accident, everything would have been different."
Yuan Xingyou looked at Qiao Ruiyi's painful expression, and bitterness rose in his heart.
The two were silent for a while.
Qiao Ruiyi's emotions gradually stabilized. He took the tissue handed to him by Yuan Xingyou and subconsciously said thank you.
Yuan Xingyou suddenly grabbed his wrist and said, "Go!"
"Where to go?" Qiao Ruiyi looked confused.
"Go find Youen," Yuan Xingyou's eyes were extremely firm, and his voice was full of power that could not be refused. "Since fate has made you meet in this way, you should tell all the truths clearly - the things that your brother failed to tell him in person should be conveyed by you."
Qiao Ruiyi stared at Yuan Xingyou in a daze, and suddenly realized that he was right. The feelings that his brother had failed to convey now fell on his shoulders.
"you're right."
Qiao Ruiyi took a deep breath, adjusted his state, and followed Yuan Xingyou towards the player lounge.
The lights in the corridor passed by above their heads one by one, like a tunnel through time, connecting the meeting that was seven years late.
…
In the players' lounge.
You En was surrounded by colleagues and staff, and the lounge was filled with cheerful laughter.
"Captain You, this is going to give you a headache," the staff member smiled and patted his shoulder, "I'm afraid there will be hundreds of 'Qiao Ruien's' coming to claim their kinship tomorrow?"
"I think there are more than that," the singing voice joked, "It's trending, I bet there are at least a thousand people."
"How about holding a fan meeting to recognize people?" Suan Suan also joined in the fun. "Let's call it a 'Searching for Qiao Ruien' special?"
Everyone burst into laughter. You En shook his head helplessly, but there was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, the door of the lounge was gently pushed open, and Qiao Ruiyi, who had appeared on the stage, and a young man wearing a mask stood side by side at the door. Qiao Ruiyi's eyes flickered, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
The laughter in the room stopped abruptly.
"Who are you? How did you get here?" The staff member did not see the work IDs on the two men and walked forward cautiously.
The singing voice recognized the true identity of one of them, "Hey, isn't this Qiao Ruiyi who just appeared on the stage?"
Suan Suan stared at Qiao Ruiyi with flickering eyes.
"Let them in." You En suddenly spoke. He also recognized Qiao Ruiyi and Yuan Xingyou who was covering his face.
He waved to the others, "You guys go out for a while."
“But the team…” The staff was still a little worried.
"It's okay." You En's eyes never left the tall young man, "I know them."
After everyone left, Qiao Ruiyi slowly walked forward. His eyes were still red, but he was much calmer than before.
Yuan Xingyou stood half a step behind him, like a silent guardian.
"Brother You En..." Qiao Ruiyi's voice was very soft, but it made the whole room quiet, "I have something to tell you."
"Is it related to Rui En?" You En already had a guess in his mind. Two people with such similar names, and coincidentally living in the same city, might they know each other?
"Rui En is my brother."
You En was not surprised by this, but she did not expect that the two men were actually brothers.
"Seven years ago," Qiao Ruiyi began with difficulty, "my brother was on his way to watch your first professional game... unfortunately he was in a car accident... and passed away."
As Qiao Ruiyi spoke, You En's face turned pale, his pupils shrank violently, and he seemed to be frozen in place.
He had been waiting for the other party to appear, but...
“Why…why is this happening?”
Youen's hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he stumbled back two steps, bumping into the dressing table.
The sound of bottles and cans scattering all over the floor with a crash was particularly harsh in the quiet lounge.
The face that always had a confident smile on it was now as pale as paper, and its lips were trembling uncontrollably.
Qiao Ruien...
Dead?
You En closed her eyes in pain.
How is that possible? !
He hasn't even met the other person yet, why would the other person...
"So... it's not that he doesn't want to contact me..." You En's voice was broken, "but... never again..."
Youen's tears rolled down her cheeks. This superstar, who is the focus of everyone's attention, is as fragile as a lost child.
Reality dealt him a ruthless and fatal blow.
You En still remembers the last message Qiao Rui En sent him, saying that he wanted to come and watch his game. However, until the end of the game, the seat reserved for him remained vacant.
He always thought that he didn't perform well at that time and disappointed the other party, so the other party was unwilling to come and see him.
You En has been fantasizing that she will perform better next time and prove her excellence to the other party.
But I didn't expect... from then on we would be separated forever, and even seeing each other again became a luxury.
"Did I kill him?"
If he hadn't wanted the other party to watch his game, perhaps this accident would not have happened.
You En could no longer hold on and fell to her knees, crying bitterly.
Countless times in the middle of the night, Qiao Ruien's figure would appear in his dreams, but he just refused to show him a straight face. Did he not want to? He was just worried that he would worry...
The heart-wrenching cry seemed to let out all the longing, self-blame and regret that had accumulated over the years.
Yuan Xingyou reluctantly comforted him, "Don't blame yourself too much. The culprit of this accident should be the driver who hit and ran."
Qiao Ruiyi squatted down and gently hugged this friend who was once cherished by his brother.
I don't know how long it took, but Youen's emotions gradually stabilized, and numbness filled his nerve endings.
Qiao Ruiyi and Yuan Xingyou were both reluctant to let go of each other, but the closing time was approaching, so they had no choice but to leave.
There was only one person left in the lounge.
You En took out his mobile phone with trembling hands, opened the social software he used to use, and found the only pinned message above all the chat messages.
The name of the user who sent the message is "Youen".
You En had seen the cartoon whirlwind head light up, but it had not been lit up since seven years ago.
You En was reluctant to delete the chat history with this good friend. The replies from 7 years ago became the most bitter knife at this moment.
——Everyone has their own aspirations. Although you are not good at studying, I believe you must have extraordinary advantages in other aspects.
——You are a very good gamer, do you plan to try to become a professional player?
- Don't worry about the money. I can sponsor you or lend you some. You can pay me back when you become famous.
——This is an investment. I believe you are a potential stock with unlimited potential.
——Have you arrived in Beijing?
——Will these stray cats have to go through life without food? They are so pitiful, I want to help them.
——That’s great. I must be the first person to hear that you are about to join a professional team.
——Everyone who plays in the game must have his or her own ID. What is your ID?
——Okay, I will definitely go to watch your first game, and then I will know what your ID is that you were hesitating to tell me.
——Once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back!
You En's tears hit the phone screen hard.
…
The camera turns.
After the game, there was a crowd outside the venue.
Qiao Ruiyi and Yuan Xingyou walked out of the venue side by side.
Qiao Ruiyi was very grateful for this opportunity, which made him fully understand his brother's concerns.
He is also very grateful to Yuan Xingyou for staying with him from beginning to end.
"Xingyou, thank you very much for what you did today."
Yuan Xingyou smiled and waved his hands, "It's okay, this is what I should do."
The roadside stalls were full of glittering peripherals. Qiao Ruiyi suddenly walked towards a stall. He stood in front of the stall and held up a star-shaped metal pendant: "Look, does this look like the shining star in your game ID?"
Without waiting for Yuan Xingyou to answer, Qiao Ruiyi had already paid the money neatly.
He placed the pendant in his palm, and the metal refracted tiny rays of light in the sunlight, as if he was really holding a star.
"Here, a gift." Qiao Ruiyi stuffed the pendant into Yuan Xingyou's hand, and his fingertips accidentally brushed his wrist, "Next time..."
The man paused, then suddenly smiled a little embarrassedly: "If we have a chance to meet next time, I will take you to eat something better."
Yuan Xingyou nodded slowly, not expecting the other party to buy him a souvenir.
He held the "star" given by the other party in both hands, and finally said: "I will give you something next time."
Reciprocity.
"Um."
Qiao Ruiyi wanted to say something, but the other party’s subway had just arrived at the station, so he could only watch Yuan Xingyou leave.
Qiao Ruiyi withdrew his gaze and prepared to take his subway, but found a familiar person standing behind him.
"Butler, why are you here?"
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