That day, Daning had jumped off the desk and turned to run off without even looking back at me.

I knew he was in a hurry to negotiate things with Mr. Chen. But if he did that, then that was as good as selling me out.

I felt very disappointed and reached out to grab hold of him. “Do you think there’s any point in doing that?”

“Any point in doing what?” Daning looked at me in confusion.

I explained, “Do you really think Mr. Chen would set aside his principles and bend the rules after you talk to him? You’re only going to end up getting even more humiliated.”

I added, “The school has been using us all this time as bad examples to warn our juniors, can’t you see?”

Daning sighed. “After hearing your plan, I thought I could give it a shot!”

I said, “But once you expose my plan, it won’t work anymore.”

Daning said, “But what if it does work out? I’d be able to graduate on time and get my degree certificate. I’d be able to face my parents and nobody will point fingers at me and laugh at me anymore.”

I said quietly, “If it works out, you’d graduate. But what about me?”

Daning fell silent.

I continued, “Both of us skipped classes together, skipped exams together, played games all day and all night together and did game streams together. You’ve decided to get serious about your studies. But what about me? What am I going to do?”

Daning sighed again. “Why don’t you get serious too?”

I laughed and said, “That’s impossible. The entire school knows that I’ve failed everything and everyone is waiting for me to get my just desserts. It’s impossible for the school to look the other way, plus Mr. Chen already told me that it’s impossible for me to graduate too.”

Daning shook his head sadly and patted me on the shoulder. “Dude, everyone wants to do only what they enjoy and everyone wishes they could take the path they like. I would really love to play video games for the rest of my life, but it’s not realistic. Nobody would accept my choice and I won’t be accepted by society either. Worst of all, I won’t get any income either. I’ll only end up in a worse state than before.”

When he said these words, I broke into a smile.

I smiled as I looked out of the window. This was the time of the day when the sun was at its hottest. The bright rays shone in through the window and illuminated our saddened expressions.

As the sun shone down on us, I said to Daning, “We’ve been playing games through the night for the last four years and we’ve been living in darkness for the past four years too. It’s been a long time since I last saw sunshine…could you…could you stay here and look at the sun with me for a while more?”

Daning was getting emotional too. He agreed and I pulled him up onto the desk again and we walked towards the window.

I looked at his back and thought about the past. Then I said, “Do you still remember? All these years, you were the one actually playing the games while I did all the commentary work. We worked so well together, we were practically a perfect pair.”

Daning didn’t understand why I was saying all this, so he couldn’t help but turn to look at me.

Once he turned around, the sun was completely blocked by his body and the entire corridor darkened.

I stood in the darkness and smiled. “So, work with me again, won’t you?”

As I said these words, I suddenly stretched my arm out towards Daning’s chest.

Then I watched as Daning fall back first out of the window and slowly grow further and further away from me…