After the car accident, my boyfriend got straight

The two days following the carnival were marked by a fair organized by the student council. In simple terms, it was a game event where participants took their invitation letters and cleared various game stations to collect stamps. The more stamps they collected, the better the prizes they could win. The ultimate prize is a Fujifilm camera. When everyone saw the ultimate prize, their determination to collect stamps was unprecedented, but the conditions were very strict: they needed to get perfect stamps from every game at the fair.

Li Muzi was away for a competition during the first three days of the carnival and returned on the fourth day, just in time for the fair. He insisted on dragging Jiang Shiyu along to join the fun. After the charity sale, Jiang Shiyu had slept like a log in his dormitory for a day and a night, his body as soft as cotton. Unable to resist Li Muzi’s persistent coaxing, he reluctantly changed clothes and accompanied him to the playground.

Every student had a ticket to the fair and could participate, but they only had one ticket each, and lost tickets would not be replaced. By the time they arrived, it was already 8 o’clock, an hour after the fair had started. The entire playground and gymnasium were brightly lit as if it were daytime. The small carts they used for setting up stalls were once again pushed to the playground, forming a complete circle around it, with a game station every two meters. There were more people on the playground than on the first day of the carnival, and from a distance, Jianghua’s playground was bustling with activity.

Li Muzi was extremely excited, dragging Jiang Shiyu into the fray. Each stall had different games of varying difficulty levels. The playground and gymnasium together had at least thirty or forty game stations.

With so many people participating, every game required queuing up. Some people left disappointed while others were ecstatic. Standing together, Jiang Shiyu and Li Muzi felt a bit nervous, the constant cheers and sighs from the crowd making them uneasy.

“Shiyu, what if we can’t even collect ten stamps?”

Jiang Shiyu swallowed and said, “Muzi, believe in us. We’re quite capable.”

Li Muzi nodded, clenched his fists, and cheered himself up.

It was soon their turn. Within the allotted time, they had to blow a ping pong ball from one disposable cup to the last one, with three attempts allowed.

Jiang Shiyu went first. On his first try, he blew too hard, sending the ball flying out. On his second try, he blew too softly, and time ran out before the ball reached the end. He started feeling nervous, sweat forming on his nose under the watchful eyes of the crowd. Fortunately, with the experience from the first two attempts, he managed to pass on the third try.

Seeing the invitation letter stamped with a bright red seal, Jiang Shiyu smiled happily and then stood aside to cheer for Li Muzi. Luckily, they both managed to pass the first game with some close calls.

Knowing their limitations, they scoured the entire playground for simpler games. An hour later, their invitation letters were almost half-filled with stamps. Li Muzi counted his stamps over and over again.

“Shiyu, why don’t we go to the exchange point first to see what prizes are available? Then we’ll have a goal to strive for.”

Jiang Shiyu agreed to everything Li Muzi said. They went to the exchange point, which was in the center of the playground, filled with gifts under two tents. People were constantly coming over to exchange for items.

They found a volunteer and asked about the available prizes.

The volunteer took out the items one by one, placing them on the table, and explained how many stamps were needed for each.

There were bubble machines, plush toys, hats, scarves, Pop Mart blind boxes, bracelets, ornaments, snack packs, and even cafeteria meal vouchers.

At this moment, a couple suddenly appeared beside them. The girl pointed to the camera placed at the highest spot and asked, “How many stamps do you need to exchange for that camera?”

“That’s our ultimate prize. Only the first person to collect perfect stamps from all the games can exchange for it.”

Jiang Shiyu and Li Muzi also looked in the direction the girl pointed.

Jiang Shiyu recognized the camera at a glance, a Fujifilm X-T5, a camera he had longed for. He had planned to take on tutoring jobs during the summer vacation to save money for the camera, but an accident had put an end to those plans.

At that moment, his eyes were glued to the camera, not even hearing Li Muzi talking beside him.

Previously, he had seen unboxing videos and reviews of the camera online. Seeing it in person, he liked it even more.

“Shiyu, Shiyu, I’m talking to you. Did you hear me?”

He snapped out of it and turned to Li Muzi, “What did you say, Muzi?”

“I said the camera looks nice, but the requirements are so high. We have to get perfect scores in all forty games. It’s impossible for us. I think the Pop Mart blind box is pretty nice. It’s just the series I like, and we only need eight more stamps to exchange for it.”

“Mm, okay.” Jiang Shiyu replied absentmindedly.

Li Muzi noticed something was off, following his gaze to the camera.

“Shiyu, you don’t want that camera, do you?”

He didn’t speak, his fingers picking at the edges of the invitation letter.

“Really? You want that camera?” Li Muzi exclaimed.

“It’s a camera I really like.” Jiang Shiyu said.

“But to get the camera, we need to complete all forty games perfectly. With our skills, it’s impossible.”

He knew it was a long shot. Even a highly skilled person might not be able to complete all the games perfectly, given the prize’s high value.

Feeling reluctant, he was pulled away by Li Muzi. As they walked, he kept looking back at the camera, not noticing Li Muzi secretly sending messages on his phone.

They returned to the game area, and this time, he played even more carefully, observing each player’s strategies and rules before their turn.

With this method, they collected five more stamps. They were left with ten stamps to go, the hardest games, requiring both physical and mental skills, with two games needing teamwork.

Jiang Shiyu studied the invitation letter and suggested, “Muzi, let’s try the three-point shooting game.”

Li Muzi, busy texting, suddenly looked up and waved vigorously.

“Here, over here.”

Jiang Shiyu looked up to see two figures approaching, Shen Li and Chen Xu.

Shen Li had texted him in the morning, saying he was going to train at the boxing gym and hadn’t messaged him since. He was surprised to see him there.

As they got closer, he asked, “Why are you here?”

Chen Xu replied, “Li Muzi asked me to come help. Shen Li came along when he heard you were here.”

Jiang Shiyu felt his face heat up, too embarrassed to look Shen Li in the eye.

Seeing their ambiguous interaction, Li Muzi tactfully pulled Chen Xu away, reminding Shen Li, “Shiyu wants the ultimate prize, the camera. He still needs ten stamps.” Then they disappeared into the crowd.

Suddenly, it was just Jiang Shiyu and Shen Li. Jiang Shiyu wanted to say something, but Chen Xu’s words left him too embarrassed. He fiddled with the invitation letter, making it even more wrinkled.

“What games are left?”

Shen Li’s deep voice cut through the noise, reaching his ears clearly.

He handed over the crumpled invitation letter, looking like a mess.

Shen Li took it, glanced at the remaining games, and without a word, grabbed his hand and led him to the game stations.

Jiang Shiyu followed, staring at their intertwined hands.

Shen Li turned back through the crowd, “Hold tight, don’t get lost.”

Shen Li already had a firm grip on his hand, but Jiang Shiyu, upon hearing this, held on tighter, their palms pressed together.

With Shen Li’s help, they easily got stamps for several physically demanding games. Jiang Shiyu watched nervously from the sidelines, more anxious than when he played himself.

Each time they completed a game, he would quietly cheer, and when Shen Li approached with the stamp, he would immediately lean in, eyes full of admiration and joy, praising, “You’re amazing!”

Shen Li, seeing his deep dimples when he smiled, felt his trip was worth it. He played the games with even more vigor, eager to earn stamps for him.

The games got harder as they progressed. The last two required teamwork, leaving Jiang Shiyu no choice but to participate with Shen Li.

The first teamwork game was the classic three-legged race. After reaching a designated point, they had to close their eyes, spin three times, and then return to the starting point.

The game itself was common, but the twist was that after reaching the designated point, they had to close their eyes and spin around each other three times. The time limit was very strict, and so far, only three pairs had completed it.

At the starting point, Shen Li crouched to tie the rope around their legs, asking Jiang Shiyu if it was tight.

He nodded and then shook his head, nervously looking at him, “Shen Li, I might drag you down.”

Shen Li gave him a reassuring look, “Don’t worry, just follow me.”

But their first attempt wasn’t smooth. They started well, with Shen Li’s steady pace, but after reaching the designated point, Jiang Shiyu was so focused on him that he lost balance while spinning, falling into his arms, disqualifying them for touching each other during the race.

He looked down, apologizing softly, “Sorry, Shen Li.”

Shen Li shook his head, “Let’s try again. Take your time.”

He nodded, feeling Shen Li’s grip on his hand tightening.

They tried a second time. This time, Shen Li talked him through each step, and they reached the designated point smoothly. When it was time to spin, Shen Li gave him the same calm, steady instructions, which helped him focus. As they spun, Jiang Shiyu felt like he was the only one in Shen Li’s eyes. They returned to the starting point just as the timer hit the final second, earning another stamp.

Shen Li untied the rope, his fingers brushing Jiang Shiyu’s ankle, sending a tingling sensation up his leg. Jiang Shiyu pulled back, blushing and stammering his thanks.

Shen Li smiled, looking deep into his eyes, “No need to thank me. We did it together.”

He blushed even more, suddenly feeling embarrassed and a little happy.

Shen Li noticed his expression and chuckled, leading him to the next game. “Let’s finish this and get that camera.”

The last game was a memory challenge. Players had to memorize a sequence of images displayed for 30 seconds and then arrange them in the same order.

Jiang Shiyu struggled with his memory and felt nervous about this game. He stood in front of the images, frowning and trying to remember the sequence. Shen Li noticed his anxiety and gently squeezed his shoulder, whispering, “Don’t worry. Take your time.”

He nodded, taking a deep breath. As they started, Shen Li stood behind him, giving quiet instructions. “First one is a cat… next is a dog…”

With Shen Li’s calm voice guiding him, Jiang Shiyu felt his anxiety fading. He arranged the images correctly, earning the final stamp.

As they received the last stamp, he looked up at Shen Li, eyes bright with excitement and gratitude. “We did it! We actually did it!”

Shen Li smiled, seeing his genuine happiness, and felt a warmth spread through his chest. He reached out and gently ruffled his hair, “Yeah, we did.”

They exchanged the invitation letter for the camera, with the school leaders presenting it personally. Jiang Shiyu felt like he was floating on air, holding the camera he had longed for.

As they walked away, Shen Li asked, “Do you know how to use it?”

Jiang Shiyu shook his head, “Not really. But I’ll learn.”

Shen Li smiled, “How about I teach you? We can go out and take some pictures.”

Jiang Shiyu’s eyes widened in surprise, “Really? You know how to use it?”

Shen Li nodded, “Yeah, I have some experience. Let’s go, I’ll show you.”

Jiang Shiyu felt his heart flutter as they walked away, camera in hand, Shen Li by his side, feeling like he was living a dream.

The two-day carnival ended with a resounding success, leaving everyone with unforgettable memories and new friendships. As the sun set on the last day, Jiang Shiyu stood on the playground, watching the students and teachers packing up the stalls, the camera hanging from his neck.

Shen Li walked up beside him, hands in his pockets, looking at the camera and then at him. “Do you like it?”

Jiang Shiyu looked up at him, eyes shining with gratitude and admiration, “Yes, I love it. Thank you for helping me get it.”

Shen Li smiled, reaching out to adjust the camera strap on his shoulder. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help.”

Jiang Shiyu felt his heart skip a beat, looking into his eyes and seeing a warmth that made him feel like he was the most important person in the world.

As they walked away together, he felt a sense of contentment and happiness he had never experienced before. He realized that it wasn’t just the camera that made him happy, but the moments he shared with Shen Li, the way Shen Li made him feel special and valued.

He knew that the memories they created together during the carnival would stay with him forever, not just because of the camera, but because of the person who helped him get it.