Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Yang Meng scratched her head and looked up at her boyfriend, An Xiaotian. An Xiaotian leaned in close to Yang Meng's ear and softly explained, "This is the girl Liu Xuan grew up with, named Ma Yihan. When Liu Xuan was renting a place during middle school, they lived in the same neighborhood. After graduating from middle school, they went their separate ways, and as far as I know, they haven't been in touch since."
"Hmm... childhood sweethearts?" Yang Meng guessed.
An Xiaotian hesitated before nodding, "Something like that... It's just that those two..."
Yang Meng wanted to hear more of An Xiaotian's story, but he suddenly stopped. The relationship between An Xiaotian and Liu Xuan was so close that it was almost like family. To put it dramatically, An Xiaotian was a direct participant in Liu Xuan's romantic experiences.
During the early admission exams in their third year of middle school, he, Liu Xuan, and Ma Yihan all took part, but only Liu Xuan failed to pass. This farewell, especially one caused by his own lack of ability, left an incredibly painful scar on Liu Xuan's heart and resulted in him losing all contact with the girl he loved most.
Ma Yihan had excellent grades and got into the best high school in the city through early admission. An Xiaotian's academic performance at that time wasn't particularly outstanding, so he and Liu Xuan ended up at an ordinary high school together. It wasn't until their second year of high school that Liu Xuan managed to squeeze into the experimental class where An Xiaotian was studying. During this time, An Xiaotian met Yang Meng from Ma Yihan's school, and they got together in their senior year.
After becoming a couple, An Xiaotian would often share his romantic experiences with Liu Xuan day and night, hoping to encourage the introverted and shy Liu Xuan to pursue girls in their class through his own love story.
Liu Xuan knew that An Xiaotian meant well, but ironically, while he kept prioritizing his studies as an excuse to avoid relationships, he often found himself unconsciously looking up in crowds, yearning to catch a glimpse of Ma Yihan's figure.
Later on, when Liu Xuan's father learned about his college entrance exam results, he drunkenly ran a red light and was hit by a car... These pains and endless regrets would cause Liu Xuan to silently weep through long nights for decades to come.
Liu Xuan was still gazing at Ma Yihan; perhaps it had been too long since they last met. They might still be trying to match their memories of each other with the reality before them.
After exchanging a knowing glance with Yang Meng, An Xiaotian said, "If there's nothing else, Yang Meng and I will head out now; I need to be back at the base by 8."
"Hey." Liu Xuan couldn't stop An Xiaotian and could only watch as he took Yang Meng out of the restaurant. Once he turned back around, he finally saw what Ma Yihan looked like now: aside from wearing the required work apron from the restaurant, she dressed very casually. Her long hair nearly reached her waist; her face remained as delicate and quiet as before. Her high eyebrows framed her diamond-like sparkling eyes as she stood before him with her hands clasped tightly.
"Do you still remember me?" Ma Yihan asked courageously.
"Of course," Liu Xuan lowered his head, "how could I forget you?"
Ma Yihan smiled, unsure of where to start. With Liu Xuan's demeanor, the girl would definitely not agree to a date, but she understood that this was just his nature. In college, even his roommates rarely initiated conversations with him, let alone now when he was facing an old friend of the opposite sex.
But what exactly was their relationship? Although he had never held her hand, after leaving her, there was always a blank space in his heart reserved for her. Liu Xuan didn't know how Ma Yihan felt about their feelings for each other. He lacked the courage to ask her and could only hope that she wouldn't forget him.
Liu Xuan remembered that summer after graduating from middle school when he had formally confessed to Ma Yihan on QQ:
"Can I continue to walk with you as your boyfriend?"
However, she remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I'll reply to you during the winter break." But that winter break came and went, and another year passed... That response had left his feelings hanging in time until now. Five years had passed, and the shy boy from back then was still waiting for the girl he loved to say, "I do."
In truth, after leaving Liu Xuan, Ma Yihan also felt an indescribable emptiness over the years. She had to keep herself busy—taking online teaching classes after school and working overtime at her club in the evenings... She loved life, and the busy two years in college gradually helped her forget about the boy who once walked hand in hand with her down narrow paths, sitting under eaves together watching the moon.
Ma Yihan found it hard to believe that while earning a little living here, she could encounter a faded memory from time.
Since they had met again, why not say hello?
But he was Liu Xuan—sharing rides home together, being class representatives together... they had developed a dependency on each other.
Like Liu Xuan, Ma Yihan stood in front of him grappling with a question: Should they awkwardly greet each other as strangers and let everything from the past come to an end? Or should they seize this opportunity to start anew and walk forward together without leaving regrets about their youthful love?
A simple greeting followed by becoming strangers shouldn't be the ending for childhood sweethearts. They both lifted their heads simultaneously and locked eyes again, but hope had already ignited in their hearts. This time, they wanted to give their former selves a perfect answer.
"Let's go outside and talk."
"Okay."
Ma Yihan took the initiative to grab Liu Xuan's sleeve as they brushed past each other. Liu Xuan turned around, and together they pushed open the door, stepping into the street bathed in the summer twilight. Liu Xuan was still worried that Ma Yihan needed to continue working, which might delay her job, but fortunately, Ma Yihan just pouted and told him she wasn't on duty after seven. Looking at her fair hand holding his sleeve, he suddenly felt an urge to reach out and truly hold her hand. Maybe it wasn't the right time yet, Liu Xuan thought. In the past, whenever Ma Yihan's family car pulled up at the school gate to pick them up, it was always Ma Yihan who dragged Liu Xuan toward her family's car, and she still did so without a second thought.
"Aren't you studying in County B? Why are you working in City S?"
"Oh come on, is it wrong for me to earn some extra money? I'm practically broke... Do you want some milk tea? I'll treat you!"
"No need... Actually, I'm really thirsty. I'll pay for myself."
"I'll treat you! Haha, why are you still so silly?"
As they approached a commercial building, Ma Yihan reached out and pinched Liu Xuan's cheek. Liu Xuan just smiled and let her have her way but ultimately restrained himself from reaching out to grab her hand.
Passing by a clothing store, Liu Xuan noticed that Ma Yihan had been eyeing a dress displayed prominently inside for quite a while. However, after checking her pockets, she turned back to continue their conversation. When they entered the commercial building, Liu Xuan used the excuse of needing to use the restroom to step outside and decisively bought the dress. He then returned with the shopping bag to find Ma Yihan waiting for him inside.
When Liu Xuan awkwardly extended his hand to give Ma Yihan the bag containing the dress, she was so surprised that she covered her mouth with both hands. Her fingers gripping the bag turned slightly white; on the surface, she was admiring the dress, but in reality, she didn't want Liu Xuan to see the tears glistening in her eyes.
Liu Xuan knew what Ma Yihan was thinking. They hadn't come to the commercial building just to shop; they wanted to go up to the rooftop and enjoy the breeze. This dress was also a response to her enthusiasm for him. When they were younger, they loved climbing onto rooftops to count stars—if Liu Xuan went to her house, he would climb onto her roof; if Ma Yihan came to his house, she would climb onto his roof. Adults often scolded them sternly for being dangerous, and to prevent Ma Yihan from getting scolded, Liu Xuan would always claim he took her up there.
Now that they were going to the rooftop, no one would criticize them anymore; this was their time alone together. Perhaps because it might rain tomorrow, there were few stars visible in tonight's city sky. Only one star at the front of the Big Dipper shone brightly; there weren't many stars visible tonight. Liu Xuan and Ma Yihan sat closely together on the low railing at the edge of the building. Even though one misstep could lead to a fall, they still sat there like before, their legs dangling freely in the air as they overlooked the dazzling lights of the bustling city below. In the distance, there seemed to be a wedding taking place; fireworks burst forth at a high point in vibrant red and white hues before exploding into indigo sparks that flickered in their eyes.
"It's so beautiful."
Ma Yihan placed her left hand on the stone slab between the two of them, while Liu Xuan merely glanced at it without taking any further action.
"Can we speak from the heart now?"
"Huh?"
Ma Yihan tilted her head, smiling brightly at him. She tucked her hair behind her ear with her right hand, and the strong wind from the rooftop blew her long hair, making her appear enchanting in Liu Xuan's eyes.
"You are truly beautiful."
"Thank you. But beauty is temporary; everything beautiful will eventually fade away."
"Not at all." Liu Xuan gazed at the fireworks, finally gathering his courage. "In my heart, you will always be that young and beautiful girl."
"Pfft." Ma Yihan laughed but didn't say anything more. In the end, they both asked the same question simultaneously:
"What do you think about our relationship?"
Ma Yihan and Liu Xuan looked at each other in surprise, as fireworks exploded between their profiles, followed by a booming sound that seemed to declare something.
Liu Xuan nervously confessed, "I... I'm not sure what you're thinking. I only know that after leaving you, it felt like a part of me was missing. Then after An Xiaotian left me, I became no different from a walking corpse."
"Is it possible that I'm feeling the same way?"
A single sentence from Ma Yihan left Liu Xuan speechless. Ma Yihan continued, "Today, when I saw you, I realized that maybe our story is still long. I never wanted to admit my feelings for you, so every time you got close to me, I deliberately kept my distance. Perhaps this behavior deeply hurt you back then, preventing our feelings from growing freely. But now, I don't want to avoid it anymore."
"So?"
"What do you mean, 'so'?"
"So what exactly are we? A couple, friends, or... exes?" Liu Xuan looked at her. "I don't expect our story to continue; I just want to know the answer from your mouth. It's been five years; there should be a conclusion."
Ma Yihan smiled and shook her head, moving her hand a little closer to Liu Xuan's. "I promise you."
Liu Xuan was momentarily confused, looking at her with uncertainty, but his hands remained unmoved.
"It's ten o'clock; it's getting late. I need to go back and take care of my dog. I'm leaving now." Ma Yihan waved at him and then turned to walk toward the rooftop platform. "Oh, by the way," she suddenly turned back, "you still have my contact information, right?"
Liu Xuan nodded.
"That's good. See you later, my little Xuan."
These words jolted Liu Xuan back to reality as he watched Ma Yihan walk through the automatic doors and disappear on the rooftop. He remained sitting on the railing, feeling the breeze. Even after Ma Yihan left, he didn't place his hand where hers had been. Should he be grateful that love had been rekindled or mourn for his past self? At that moment, Liu Xuan couldn't decide; he just wanted to sit quietly alone, perhaps to cleanse his memories since she had promised.
He sat there until the security guard arrived and asked him to leave. What he didn't notice was that the guard had been observing him all along, from the moment he entered the building until now. Once Liu Xuan left the commercial building, the guard rolled his eyes and transmitted all the data back to the main battleship.
Comment 0 Comment Count