The meaning of life

— Lu Guang, let’s help them? The dark-haired man again asks his friend to intervene in the timeline to try to change something, help the suffering, and maybe even save innocent lives. They both know perfectly well that it’s risky, but Xiaoshi still insists on his own. This is not the first time this has happened. And every time Lu Guang agrees. And again they slap each other’s hand, looking at the photo provided to them. Cheng Xiaoshi faces death again, nevertheless listens to Lu Guang and does not change the course of events, and each time the criminal reaches his goal, but after some time he finds himself behind bars in reality. And all thanks to the two of them. Lu Guang often reminded his friend of the rules of time travel. Just in case. With his desire to help others, something was trying to go the wrong way. — I will change the past if you are not in my present, — Cheng Xiaoshi once said in all seriousness. Xiaoshi smiles every time, making it clear that he is glad that they were able to help the police and save other innocent lives. Nevertheless, Lu Guang noticed that his friend’s yellow eyes were gradually fading after another encounter with death. It was scary. What if they really go out someday? And now the white-haired man is holding him in his arms, looking at an almost expressionless face. He doesn’t remember what happened, but he sees what it led to. Cheng Xiaoshi was lying in his arms, smiling a little sadly at parting. His hand once loosely clutched his T-shirt, although Chen himself said that he was not at all afraid, because he had experienced death more than once, even if not his own. Lu Guang wakes up in his bed, restless. His hands are shaking at the very thought that this might be true. He gets up and goes downstairs. — Guan? Why aren’t you sleeping? Xiaoshi sits down, rubbing his eyes, looking sleepily at his friend who stopped in the doorway. — I… had a nightmare… — the white-haired man lowered his head, putting his hand on the door handle. — Can I make you some tea? It was a rhetorical question. The dark-haired man got up from the bed, approached his friend, led him into the living room, sat him down on the sofa, and disappeared around the corner. He returned a few minutes later, handing him a warm drink. — Here, have a drink. Helps. — Thank you, — Lu Guang took the mug from the guy’s hands and drank, then, looking down, asked. — Tell me… Do you… what do you think about the fact that someday we will have to die?.. — M? Why such questions? He stood there for a couple of seconds, looking at him with a mute question, but after thinking a little and figuring it out, he understood himself. — Is that what you dreamed? Lu Guang gripped the mug a little tighter in his hands. Cheng seemed a little confused by this. Pursing his lips, he looked away, trying to quickly figure out what to do in this situation. The guy is used to having a friend who is always serious and collected, knows what to do and can also instruct him. But now everything is different. Now he has to support Lu Guang. Xiaoshi approached him uncertainly and stopped for the time being. — Tell me… you’re going to be careful, aren’t you? — The white-haired man finally looked into his eyes. The man froze, holding his breath, when he met his gaze, then turned away, as if afraid of something, but nodded. — I’ll try. You’re with me, — the dark-haired man stopped hiding and smiled. — Thanks to you, I always get away with it. — Good. I hope so. He smiled wider, which seemed to make the situation less tense. The corner of Guan’s lips also lifted slightly. He was grateful to Chen for his ability to fix the situation. Meanwhile, Xiaoshi had already plopped down on the sofa next to him, resting his head on his shoulder and closing his eyes. The white-haired man looked at the time. The clock showed two o’clock in the morning. — Are you worried about something? — Cheng asked as if nothing had happened. — Did you see the time? Heck… I’m sorry for waking you up, — Lu Guang buried his hands in his hair. — Come on. It’s a pleasure to help you. You don’t seem so strict now. Now I understand that you are the same person as me. Would you like some more tea? — No, thanks. Okay, come on.… Xiaoshi was touched by Lu Guang’s expression at the moment when he suddenly changed his mind, but decided not to delay and still bring him a drink. Before leaving, he kissed Guan on the cheek, after which he almost instantly disappeared around the bend. The white-haired man opened his eyes wide. He was completely shocked by his friend’s behavior. “What’s going on?” For some reason, Lu Guang began to panic, while Xiaoshi returned to the living room completely calm, as if this was a common occurrence for him, with a second cup of tea and handed it to the white-haired man. — Thank you, — he nodded, confused. — You’re nervous again, — the dark-haired man put his hands on his knees, bending down so that their faces were on the same level. — What happened? Lu Guang moved back a little. — I’m fine… — contrary to the words, the white-haired man did not look very good. Xiaoshi reached out to touch his forehead and thereby measure his temperature. After a little delay, he still removes his palm, now looking into his friend’s eyes himself. — Is there something you’re not telling me? — Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, — Lu Guang couldn’t calm down. The dark-haired man opened his mouth, intending to say something else, but changed his mind. He saw that he would not get an answer at this rate, if at all. Deciding not to waste words in vain, Xiaoshi falls back onto the sofa next to Guan, this time putting his arm around Guan’s shoulders and pulling him towards himself, thereby forcing both to take a lying position. — What are you doing?! — The white-haired man was indignant, blushing. — You mentioned the time there… I thought you were worried about it, so I decided to put you to bed, — the brunette smiled radiantly. — The fool… — Guan was confused, but after a while he relaxed. — It helped, — Cheng tried to justify himself, scratching his head, but it was clear from his pleased face that he did not regret anything. — Oh, come on, — the white-haired man snorted, but soon he was snoring peacefully. Xiaoshi was a little surprised at how quickly he fell asleep, but he was satisfied with the situation anyway. Lu Guang is calm, which means that everything is really fine now.

* * *

In the morning, the door of the photo studio opened, and Qiao Ling appeared on the threshold. The girl was unhappy that the store was not opened on time, but she could not tell off the employees, because she simply could not find them. She walked around half of the house before she thought to look into the living room, where Lu Guang was sleeping peacefully, sprawled on Cheng Xiaoshi. The dark-haired man gently stroked his friend’s head, trying not to wake him up. — You’re chilling, then, — Qiao Ling chuckled, folding her arms over her chest, leaning her shoulder against the nearest wall. However, Xiaoshi seemed to consider the question rhetorical, but just in case, he also smiled and put his finger to his lips, hinting that he and Guan, who now looked cute and innocent, needed a little more time.