As a middle school student, I had a special friend. At the time, I did not know his real name or true face, but even today I still believe he is a good guy.

One summer, I went to Wuhan with my parents on a visit to some relatives. Sauntering by the majestic river Yangtze one morning, I tossed into the currents a drift bottle with a note in it. On the note was my QQ ID plus a message, “May I QQ chat with you?”

As far as I knew, normally no one around me would do such a thing. Never did I have the faintest hope to get a reply. Weeks later, when I went online back at home in Shiyan, however, a stranger sent me an invitation to be his QQ contact. It turned out that my drift bottle message had reached him.

In the first chat, I learned that the guy was a 32-year-old professional and that he was making a life in Shanghai, located at the Yangtze estuary, where the mighty river empties into the East China Sea. According to the guy, he had picked up my bottle, taking a stroll along the Yangtze one evening. Amazing!

The first time we met online, I was having a rotten day, and so was he. We clicked right away. Then we shared our troubles. I had been ditched by one of my best friends after a quarrel, and worse still, I had failed a monthly exam. Without reserve, he poured out to me, a new e-pal, his day-to-day struggles for survival in the metropolis.

The online communication, which went on and off for a couple of years, witnessed the twists and turns of our individual life courses. Throughout, he offered suggestions if I was beset with problems. In the meantime, I encouraged him to strive for a better life in the big town. One day on the IM, I expressed appreciation to him for his heart-warming tips, and he reciprocated with a line, “Keep on fighting, boy.”

Although we two have never met each other in the flesh, I have no doubt whatsoever that he is a good guy. A best buddy does not have to be by your side physically day by day.