Liu Meng, when I heard that you would go study in the city, I, from the bottom of my heart, felt happy for you. In the city, there are better education resources, and more opportunities for growth. So I hope for you to go as soon as possible, or better yet, go right away. I, too, will try my best to get into a key school in the city. Then, I will catch up to you.
— Chen Xiao to Liu Meng, Episode 5 — Farewell
Chen Xiao (Chinese: 陈潇 Chén Xiāo) is a character who appears in Link Click. He is one of the clients of the Time Photo Studio, and his story is the main focus of Episodes 3 to 5.
Appearance
During his middle school years, Chen Xiao parts his short black hair to the left, the longest strands just nearly touching his eyebrows. He wears thin circle glasses, ones which were later smashed by an offensive player. His eyes are a light brown (though mostly shown yellow due to Cheng Xiaoshi's possession), and he wears the school basketball uniform; a dark green jersey with cream-colored shoulders and a white number "11" The jersey has matching green shorts, and he wears white shoes with green socks.
As an adult, Chen Xiao keeps his short hairstyle, although it's slightly grown out, and he dons a purple-gray sweater with a white dress shirt underneath. Grayish rectangular glasses replace the thin ones he used to wear in middle school.
Personality
Chen Xiao's first appearance shows him as hesitant about the realism of the Time Photo Studio, hiding in the shadows and cautiously waiting for the right moment to face Qiao Ling, being momentarily mistaken for a stalker. Through snippets of his story, we see that he is determined enough to pursue basketball as his passion, despite many of his teacher's and his mother's attempts to direct his attention away from it.
Story
Growing up in the countryside of Sichuan, China, Chen Xiao joined his middle school's basketball team, led by their team captain Lu Hongbin. As his skills were somewhat lacking, he was officially a bench player, but still greatly enjoyed the company of his friends in their free time playing together.
However, at some point, the school would make the decision to demolish the gym and replace it with a new classroom building. In their last official match before the disbanding of the basketball team, they played against a school from a city, which ended in defeat despite their valiant efforts.
During middle school, Chen Xiao also met his first love, Liu Meng, who was Lu Hongbin's sister. After the last basketball match, he heard from Liu Meng that she planned go to school in the city later that year. At home, he mentioned this to his mother, but she responded with anger, frustrated that her son, just like his father, is abandoning her for the city.
However, disaster soon struck. Lu Hongbin, Liu Meng, as well as Chen Xiao's mother, all fell victim to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, with Chen Xiao alone surviving.
As years pass, Chen Xiao, now an adult, manages to obtain relative stability and become the father to a son. Yet, regrets from his childhood linger. Learning about Time Photo Studio and their service of visiting the past, Chen Xiao approaches them with a request to deliver three messages to Lu Hongbin, Liu Meng, and his mother.
Entering Chen Xiao's past via a group photo taken before their final match, Cheng Xiaoshi manages to win their basketball game. He then successfully delivers the messages to the three people, the last of which even leading to a reconciliation with his mother. However, the experience would prove traumatizing for Cheng Xiaoshi as he realizes the true reason behind Chen Xiao's regrets. Despite his efforts to rescue these people from their tragic fate, the results would remain unchanged.
Later, Chen Xiao and his father visit his mother's grave. There, his father hands him an old camera that he found while cleaning — one that he cherished in his childhood, containing precious memories. He takes the camera back to the photo studio where Cheng Xiaoshi helps him develop the photos, and continues moving forward in life with the weight of regrets lightened.
Abilities
Chen Xiao is on the basketball team, though his starting position is a benched player. Only when Cheng Xiaoshi possesses him does he gain spectacular playing skills. He is also strong enough to bike an injured Lu Hongbin back home, uphill while being exhausted after the basketball game.
Episode Appearances
Quotes
- (To Lu Hongbin, via Cheng Xiaoshi) "Captain, I have something to tell you. I've often dreamt lately of the game against Longyang, where I played as your substitute. I was somehow making slam dunks and three-pointers left and right, beating them to shreds. And when I wake up, I start to really miss the old days where we could play together. As an adult, though I still occasionally visit the court, the excitement and enchantment has faded without you guys — who would take turns fighting for the hoop after school, who would scold me for my shitty shots, who would pass the ball to me despite everything. So, thank you, captain. It's your perseverance that added to my memories of friendship."[1]
Trivia
- Chen Xiao's story may be based off the story of one of the Sichuan survivors, where a child had a fight with his mother over lunch and escaped the earthquake at the restaurant he went to. When he came back trying to find his mother, the rescuers discovered that his mother's body was in the dining room and she was still holding her chopsticks, implying that she had been waiting for her son to come back to eat together all along.
References
- ↑ Link Click Donghua: Episode 5 — Farewell
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