Next, we made several guesses, but still couldn’t figure out what Roger actually wanted to do.

When night fell, we arrived at Ermei Restaurant.

This restaurant is near a university, not a high-end place. Roger chose to meet us here probably because we made a promise here ten years ago.

At the entrance of the restaurant, I saw another old friend.

This old friend is quite famous, on par with Bai Jie in the world of romance. His name is Ben.

Ben's real name is Robin, and just like his name, he himself is rather ordinary. But he didn’t want to stay ordinary, so when he got his ID card, he changed one character, turning 斌 into 宾.

Compared to Robin, the name Robin sounds much more Western.

Ever since Ben changed his name, he gave off a vibe of someone who had studied abroad. Not long after, he dated several girls.

Chapter 012: Years of Friendship

As a member of the same family as Ben, Roger's name also has a bit of a Western feel.

In my impression, names like Zhang Jie, Zhou Jie, Wang Jie, etc., all sound very Eastern, but only Roger sounds like a Western name. For example, the milestone animated film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," or the legendary character in anime, Pirate King Gol D. Roger.

Speaking of One Piece, there’s a joke. I once made a huge blunder. The first time I watched One Piece, I was so shocked by Luffy’s opening line, “I want to be the man who becomes the Pirate King,” that I almost lost control of my bladder. At the time, a girl I knew was extremely into BL novels, and under her influence, I naturally assumed One Piece was a boys’ love anime.

That night, I imagined the ending of One Piece, and this was the scene in my head: Luffy passionately kissing the rugged, bearded Gol D. Roger, stretching his rubber hand deep into Gol D. Roger’s rear, and finally, the Straw Hat Kid truly becomes the Pirate King’s man...

Because of that image, I didn’t dare watch the anime again for the next three years.

Later, every time I argued with Roger, I’d throw out this harsh line: “One day, Luffy will become your man!”

Ten years ago, when we made our promise at Ermei Restaurant, Ben doubted that this little restaurant would even last another two or three years. But as it turned out, ten years later, it hadn’t closed down—in fact, it had expanded. Ten years ago, there were no private rooms here, but now there are, and inside sat four people.

The four people were Roger, Ben, Warren, and me.

As soon as we met, I asked Roger what was going on. He was very mysterious and said he’d wait until everyone arrived before explaining.

Right then, I thought he wouldn’t say anything, because getting everyone together was just too difficult. In the past, when we said “everyone’s here,” it meant all thirteen of us. Ten years ago, when we ate here, there were thirteen of us.

The thirteen of us had been especially close since high school, known as the Thirteen Guardians. The benefit of having so many people was that even if we went out without weapons, we could still scare people. Back then, our favorite thing to do was to sing the theme songs from the "Young and Dangerous" series and roam the streets in a group.

There was a time when we thought our friendship was just like the song “Years of Friendship,” able to withstand the test of time. Looking back now, it really wasn’t easy—we all made it through. But there were some minor issues, namely that some relationships between individuals were a bit strange.

Even among the four people present, there were plenty of problems.

For example, Warren and Ben hadn’t spoken in years—their conflict was irreconcilable.

For example, Roger and I had once fought, and even after making up, our relationship wasn’t as close as before.

The fifth person to appear in the private room was Tyler. Tyler might not always be honest, but he looked especially simple and honest. He got along well with everyone and was the peacemaker in our group whenever there was a conflict.

Then two more people arrived: Ben and Luke.

These two had been competing for years—even racing each other up the stairs. As they entered the private room, Ben was half a step ahead, looking very smug, while Luke cursed.

Compared to the complicated conflict between Warren and Ben, the issue between Ben and Luke was very simple and could be explained in one sentence: Ben is a Real Madrid fan, and Luke is a Barcelona fan.

Old friends who aren’t that close like to reminisce when they meet, but those with truly deep relationships usually don’t. For example, Ben—last night he suddenly got sentimental and called me in the middle of the night to have a heart-to-heart. Afterward, he felt great, but I couldn’t sleep and ended up playing mobile games all night. For example, Luke—just the day before yesterday, he posted photos of his new girlfriend online, so now that we’ve met, I definitely won’t ask him how he’s been lately.

After Luke, the eighth person still hadn’t arrived.

At eight o’clock in the evening, Roger said, “Forget it, let’s not wait. Let’s eat first.”

The atmosphere became a bit tense. Tyler tried to persuade him: “Let’s wait a bit longer. We all live so far apart—maybe something came up on the way.”

Roger asked Tyler, “When I called you this morning, where were you?”

Tyler was stunned for a moment, then answered honestly, “In Ya’an.”

Roger then asked Ben, “Where were you?”

Ben said, “Shanghai.”

Roger then asked Ben, “And you?”

Ben said, “Xi’an.”