Qin Jiu is actually a person that doesn't really pay attention to the date.
This could count as a common issue amongst all the invigilators back then—-if anyone were to stay several years in the system with its chaotic time, they would all slowly ignore questions like "what date is it today?" that was completely pointless. But Qinjiu stayed especially long, so that made the issue even worse.
His "sense of time" only works when it involves his Big Invigilator. But once January passes every year, the calendar seems to become useless to him.
As for his own birthday, that's just something that has been extremely blurry ever since he was two years old, just a combination of numbers on information files, it doesn't hold any actual meaning.
So the spring of that year, when Youhuo suddenly brought up "June", he didn't react at all.
It was a holiday at the end of spring, heavy rain poured down outside, the two of them casually chatted while leaning on each other after messing around.
Youhuo grabbed the ice water on the bedside table, drinking as he glanced out the window, the rain season that should have belonged to summer seemed like it arrived early, muffled thunder mixed in the sound of rain. As if he suddenly remembered something, he patted Qinjiu and said, "Remember to save your long break until June."
"June?" Qinjiu was taken back for a moment, then teased, "Why save it until June, our Big Invigilator suddenly feels childlike and wants to celebrate Children's Day?"
Youhuo: "..."
Qinjiu very clearly remembers, at that moment his Big Invigilator stared very seriously at the ice water in his hands, don't know if he wanted to pour half a glass of water on him to wake him up or something.
He quickly snatched the cup, and coaxed, "Don't, let me think, June..."
He imagined a calendar in his mind, when he was flipping through each date, his stubborn Mr. Invigilator mocked, "That works too, sure, then save all your breaks on the 1st, celebrate Children's Day for seven days by yourself."
That tone sounds freezing cold to those subordinate students, but was very fun in Qinjiu's eyes.
So he continued with a smile, "Then what about you?"
Youhuo was too lazy to get up and get a new cup, so he took another sip of the ice water with the cup still in Qinjiu's hand, and said without even looking up, "I'll save it for the 17th."
June 17th.
When this date was pointed out, Qinjiu finally remembered: Oh, his birthday.
A date that he doesn't even remember himself, but was kept in mind by the other so early, it's a fascinating experience. Especially when it's the Invigilator A that is seen by other people as someone who "hates extra trouble" and "basically emotionless".
That was the first time in a few months that Qinjiu seriously looked at the time on his phone screen: April.
He stared at that time in daze for a while.
When he looked up again, Youhuo had already put on a clean pair of pants, standing by the bed bare-footed. Qinjiu grabbed his hand and said, "Already preparing for my birthday this early?"
His Big Invigilator glanced back at him, stubborn as always, "You're thinking too much, just casually bringing it up, to save you from scheduling your breaks messily.
But he didn't pull his hand away, just letting the other grab onto it.
So Qinjiu dragged out his tone and smiled again, "that won't work, how can this end so easily?"
Youhuo: "..."
Youhuo: "What else then?"
Qinjiu: "My curiosity has been awakened, now I so badly wants to know, how our Big Invigilator plan to celebrate my birthday."
Youhuo: "..."
With Mr. A's "emotionless" personality, he's always been not very good at this type of stuff, he's probably still thinking about it, and has been for a while. Or else he won't just "casually" bring it up two months early. Qinjiu couldn't know that better, so he purposefully teased him.
Qinjiu tugged on his hand with a smile, "Finished thinking yet?"
Youhuo chuckled coldly, "Obviously."
Qinjiu: "Really?"
Youhuo: "..."
Qinjiu: "How about just revealing a little to me?"
Youhuo: "..."
Qinjiu's eyes were full of smiles, and finally cleared his throat after a while, "Big Invigilator, can I ask for something myself?"
His life is actually really great and happy right now, there isn't anything that he wants but can't get. But he could pick a few things to say, so that his Big Invigilator doesn't have to think so hard for this long.
But unexpectedly, Youhuo said, "No, shut up. It's already prepared, there's no picking."
...
Just because of this one sentence, the skilled Mr. 001 has been absent-minded for two whole months, always thinking about what it could be.
He finally found out later, it was a ring.
According to Invigilator A's stubborn saying, it's a gift in return for the "earring" from back then. But they both tacitly wore the ring on their ring finger.
On June 17th of that year, they took a rare long break.
When they returned, Gaoqi was first to notice something different—-
At a daily training, he heard Qinjiu raise his hand and say, "wait a few seconds."
Gaoqi thought: that's a step that has never been seen before, wait for what?
He looked over, and saw Qinjiu take a ring off of his ring finger, then carefully put it into the tactical pocket on his heart.
"..."
The forever single Gaoqi immediately felt unbalanced!
Although Qinjiu might not have meant it that way, Gaoqi just feels like he's showing off! He's just fucking showing off on purpose!
It's not that the team doesn't allow wearing these things, but these things have to be completely removed every time before training, it's very troublesome. Insisting on wearing it even with such troublesome circumstances, what type of spirit is that?
What else could it fucking be other than showing off?
It's just 001 anyways, with A's personality that strongly hates trouble, it's probably impossible for him to be willing to wear these types of things.
He turned around as he was thinking that, and just saw his old friend and boss, Mr. A, also touching his ring finger. He watched as he took off a ring as well, and put it in the tactical pocket on his chest.
Gaoqi: "..."
I'm blind.
He turned back around with a numb expression, and asked Qinjiu who was closer to him, "How much love hypnosis potions did you force A to drink to make him wear this?"
Qinjiu smiled, and lazily replied, "You guess."
Gaoqi touched his finger that has been empty for many years, and said sourly, "I've never seen you guys wear these jingling things before."
Qinjiu raised his eyebrow and thinked, then said, "I actually have worn these before."
Many years ago, as a D-to-D member, when he was entering the system with a mission and pretending to be an examinee, in order to stick some "sticker camera" type of thing and not attract any attention, he had worn a special ring.
When adjusting the size, he requested for the diameter of the ring to be smaller, to wear on his little finger, as an inconspicuous pinky ring. Then there was nobody to provide those "little gadgets", and so that pinky ring lost its use.
So he didn't really wear it for long, only a very short few months.
...but he has only worn these two things so far.
One is the ring on his pinky back then, a pinky ring's meaning is "longing for freedom", representing the up and down years in the system.
One is the ring on his ring finger today, representing home, and the love of his life.