The first thing Qi Cong did after coming home was to find a computer and plug in the USB drive.

The data was quickly read and a folder popped out, revealing the entire contents – a photo and an encrypted file.

An encrypted file?

Qi Cong frowned and clicked on the photo first.

An unfamiliar and yet familiar old photo became enlarged on the screen. In the photo, young boys and girls of all colors and ages were sitting or standing in a large activity room. There were approximately more than a hundred people, and a banner celebrating the successful conclusion of a summer camp was hanging high above the activity room.

This photo was taken when he first went abroad to attend an international summer camp!

‘The first time I saw you was when I was thirteen years old. We attended the same international summer camp. You were in Camp 2 and I was in Camp 4.’

Gu Xun’s words flashed through his mind, and Qi Cong pressed his hand on the touchpad unconsciously, his eyes sliding back and forth in search of the teenager in the photo.

The banner was written to celebrate the successful end of the summer camp. He vaguely remembered this scene. When summer camp was about to end, the teachers had called all the children to the large activity room for a farewell party. He was in a hurry to see his mom, so he paid close attention to the time and the flow of the party.

As far as he could remember, all the kids from the camp attended this party.

All the children, that meant that young Gu Xun was most likely also in this photo. Which one could it be, could it be–?

Qi Cong’s eyes focused on the corner of the photo. A teen stood against the wall with his head bowed, seemingly in a daze.

His eyes paused for a second and then quickly moved away, continuing to slide on the photo in search. His finger on the touchpad also moved, with the line of sight wandering as he zoomed in and out the photo.

About half an hour later, Qi Cong frowned, looking at the photo that he had zoomed back and forth several times, both puzzled and suspicious.

No?

Of a total of 108 people in the photo, 37 were photographed with full faces, 45 with side faces and 16 with their backs to the camera. While 10 had their faces obscured by others, or you were unable to see their appearance clearly with their heads down.

Except for those whose faces were blocked or their heads bowed, he carefully confirmed that no one had the shadow of Gu Xun in his appearance, regardless if it was a boy or a girl.

How could there be no sign of him?

Qi Cong unconsciously zoomed in the photo again, this time mainly looking at the children with their faces blocked or with their heads down. After combining factors such as Gu Xun’s age and the differences in skin color between children from various countries and genders, he finally locked his eyes on four of them.

Was he one of these people?

He looked back and forth at the four figures, but because he had no recollection of Gu Xun when he was young, he remained clueless even after an hour of looking.

He couldn’t help but raise his hand and slam his forehead.

How could he not remember it? Obviously Gu Xun told him how they knew each other, and clearly Gu Xun had given such an obvious hint, so how could he still not remember? How could he still not tell??

Could it be that Gu Xun had plastic surgery?

This guess suddenly popped into Qi Cong’s mind, but he quickly shook his head, denying it.

If Gu Xun really had plastic surgery, he would’ve told him directly. It was also very unlike something that Gu Xun would do.

Then could it be that Gu Xun wasn’t actually in this photo?

No, it was impossible. Gu Xun adding this photo alone meant it must be meaningful.

After his thinking bore no fruit and his search remained fruitless, the time grew late. Qi Cong forced himself to collect his thoughts, suppressing the desire to immediately find and remember the teenage Gu Xun. He moved his fingers to close the photo, and clicked on the encrypted file.

A password input box popped up without a message prompt.

Qi Cong moved his finger on the touchpad and tried to enter Gu Xun’s birthday.

The password was wrong.

He tried his own birthday.

Still wrong, and it showed that there was only one chance left to try that day.

The number of tries was actually limited.

Qi Cong blindly entered the date he and Gu Xun met three years ago.

A message popped up: Not this day.

Not this day? So the password really was a date? And it was relevant to the two of them?

The date….

Qi Cong looked at the old photo again and had a sudden thought – could this file password be the real date of his and Gu Xun’s first encounter?

No it was impossible… but it must be. Gu Xun gave him this, just to make him think about it. Although he has decided to give up this relationship, Gu Xun still wanted him to think about it.

His mood, which had been depressed because of the separation from Gu Xun, jumped up again. Qi Cong looked at the encrypted document and his heart beat slightly faster.

Then he clenched his hand.

He will think about it.

If this was what Gu Xun wanted, he would think about it. It wasn’t fair that only Gu Xun remembered the past. He would definitely think about it.

Time had already skipped past one o’clock in the morning, and today’s attempts have been exhausted. Qi Cong finally opened the photo and looked at it, then moved his finger to close the folder. Then he took out the USB flash drive and held it in his hand as he got up and went back to his room.

He will come back to this tomorrow.

This was the last gift that Gu Xun gave him and his last request for him. He must never let Gu Xun down.

……

Edited by: Antiope1

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