Originally, Xie Jiasen could always see me...

I was instantly struck dumb and stood still.

Li Miao also turned around in the direction of his finger.

Suddenly, she laughed, "Xie Jiasen, don't be silly.

"That's just a photo. Your girlfriend, whom you have loved for so long, no longer wants you!"

I suddenly snapped back to reality and looked at the wall behind me.

There was a picture frame hanging there, which I had only just noticed.

The couple in the photo had radiant smiles.

It was me, wearing a police uniform, and Xie Jiasen wearing a team uniform.

During that time, we held our own dreams and were infinitely close to having a future together.

"Or maybe, what is inferior about me compared to her?" Li Miao asked.

"Yes."

Xie Jiasen looked straight at the photo, "In this world, no one can compare to her."

After saying that, he looked at Li Miao sideways, "The door is right there, no need to send me off."

An empty night.

Xie Jiasen nestled in the sofa, with the light from the TV on his face.

At this moment, the TV was replaying the daytime news bulletin.

The host reported the news in a standard tone, "On this day last year, our country's police carried out a full-scale crackdown on overseas fraud syndicates. Unfortunately, five police officers were seriously injured, and one female police officer died."

"Today, the police once again arrested several fugitives and captured them all, rescuing the remaining trapped individuals."

"Now let's watch the report sent back by our frontline reporter."

The screen then showed footage of the police arresting the fugitives.

The scene shifted, and many ragged men and women squatted by the roadside, looking terrified.

The reporter walked slowly towards them, holding a microphone in front of one of the women, "Don't be afraid, you are safe now.

"You will be able to return to your hometown tomorrow. Is there anything you would like to say?"

The woman hesitated and nodded, speaking in a weak voice, "I just want to say thank you, thank you to the female police officer from a year ago."

"It was she who told us that fellow countrymen would come to rescue us, telling us to hold on until that day."

After a pause, tears flowed down her pale face, "But she herself... she was killed by those people."

Something seemed to occur to her, and a glimmer appeared in her originally dull eyes, "Right! That police officer once asked me to deliver a message!"

The reporter quickly asked, "Who is the message for?"

The woman shook her head, "She didn't say a name, but she said, if there is a chance, let me say this message in front of the camera."

"She said, you will definitely become a world-famous esports champion."

16. Pei Ke.

The first time Pei Ke saw Shen Zhi was on a certain day in his first year of junior high school.

The semester was already half over, but she suddenly transferred to the same school as Pei Ke.

On the platform, Shen Zhi introduced herself casually, "My name is Shen Zhi."

The homeroom teacher asked, "That's it?"

Shen Zhi nodded, "That's it."

That was the first second that Pei Ke became interested in this girl.

The next second, the homeroom teacher pointed in the direction of where Pei Ke was, "You can sit in that seat."

Shen Zhi pursed her lips and walked towards Pei Ke, sitting next to him.

That's how she became his deskmate.

Among the whole class, only Shen Zhi seemed a bit out of place.

She hardly communicated with other classmates, keeping to herself every day.

The most frequently spoken sentence to Pei Ke was, "Stop staring at me."

Pei Ke stubbornly said, "Who's staring at you? I... I'm looking at the clouds."

In a certain break time later on, Pei Ke got into a fight with a classmate and was hit on the forehead, causing it to bleed.

Shen Zhi, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, "Pei Ke, turn around."

"Why?"

Just as Pei Ke turned around, he saw Shen Zhi take out a band-aid from her school bag.

She tore open the packaging and held both sides of the band-aid:

"Come here."

As she said that, she raised her hand and held it up to Pei Ke's forehead.

When her fingers accidentally touched his face, Pei Ke, who was usually fearless, dared not move.

He was afraid that his heartbeat would be too loud and be heard by Shen Zhi.

【That would be too disgraceful for me.】 Pei Ke thought to himself.

However, he couldn't help but look at Shen Zhi in front of him.

The gentle breeze in the afternoon lifted the pure white curtains, gently swaying behind her.

It was like the sea he loved the most.

From then on, Pei Ke became Shen Zhi's only friend.

On New Year's Day in 2010, Pei Ke sneaked out of his house and bought a lot of fireworks.

He sent a WeChat message to Shen Zhi: 【Come down, I'm waiting for you downstairs.】

A few minutes later, Shen Zhi ran downstairs.

Pei Ke lit a firework for her and casually asked, "I'm making you come down so late, won't your parents be angry?"

"No."

Shen Zhi watched the sparkler in her hand, "They're not here anymore. I live with my grandmother now, and by this time, my grandmother would have already fallen asleep."

"Whoosh!"

The firework shot up into the sky, exploding and lighting up Shen Zhi's side profile.

Lost in thought, Pei Ke heard her say, "Pei Ke, I hope you stay safe forever so that I can be your friend for a lifetime."

Pei Ke laughed, "Who said I wanted to be your friend for a lifetime."

Or rather, he didn't want to, and he was unwilling to be just her friend.

However, at that time, Pei Ke didn't know.

He and Shen Zhi were destined to not be together.