Let Him Wait

On a December night, the chill quietly crept in.

In the fields below River Dam, a row of single-story houses stood silently, blending into the darkness.

The bedroom light was soft and warm, mingling with the moonlight outside the window as it fell over the two girls.

Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu sat at the computer desk, controllers in hand, working together through a tense and thrilling battle.

Xue Yuantong had commandeered a tank and charged bravely ahead to clear the way, crushing everything in her path with overwhelming force. Xue Chuchu, by comparison, had it much rougher. All she had was a little pistol, and she had to run on her own two legs just to barely keep up with Tongtong's tank.

The game they were playing was Metal Slug, an arcade game running on a computer emulator.

There were not many high-definition split-screen co-op games these days. Famous games like Overcooked! and It Takes Two had yet to be released.

Jiang Ning leaned against the sofa, watching the cozy, harmonious scene as his thoughts drifted.

Thinking of those two co-op games reminded him of the Switch console from the future. But it would not be released until 2017, still three years away.

When he imagined Tongtong and Chuchu playing Dance Central on the Switch in front of him three years from now—a game that scored players based on their dance moves—he could not help looking forward to it.

By then, Tongtong should have grown into herself, right? Jiang Ning thought.

2017, 2018, and then the historic year of 2020... By then, they should have graduated from college.

He came back to his senses and looked at the low-resolution arcade game on the screen. Its gameplay was beyond question, but the graphics really were terrible.

Even while gaming, Xue