Insomnia Flight Diary

At a gathering of family friends, Si Wenye watched as the girl her parents had brought over to meet him stood with her eyes lowered, never looking at him once.

Already impatient, he stared at the cowlick on the crown of her head and gave a derisive snort amid the room's cheerful chatter.

As expected, the girl frowned and looked up at him. Almond-shaped eyes, a delicate nose. Their gazes met...

This time, he was the one who frowned.

Everyone at Xinghe No. 1 High School knew Si Wenye from Class 3, Grade 11. He was unruly and ruthless, always near the top of the rankings, and merciless in everything he did. Anyone who crossed him, boy or girl, got verbally torn apart until they cried.

Whenever students saw him, they wanted to take a detour.

Not long afterward, though, a group of his close friends spotted him at the entrance to an old alley, holding the girl's wrist as he gazed at her with a lovestruck smile.

During the days he stayed up late working on competition problems, Si Wenye rented a place near school.

But not long after moving in, he began to feel that someone was secretly watching him.

One night, as he walked home, he saw the door of the apartment across the hall open a crack. A figure was sitting with her back against the wall. Hearing his footsteps, she slowly stood up.

The hallway light split her silhouette into shadow and brightness. All he could see was her fair chin.

She said nothing. After glancing at him, she quietly closed the door.

Before the age of seven, Wu Heng had a gentle mother and a loving father.

After seven, her world held only a cold mother and a seemingly endless night.

When she was seventeen, during the second week after moving into a new home, a boy moved in across the hall. The sound of his footsteps helped her break free from her fear of the darkness.

So on those sleepless nights, all she could do was wait quietly until she heard his voice again.