Words Have Their Reasons

[Adorable underclasswoman & gentle top-student upperclassman] [Mutual devotion + fast-paced romance + sweet little love story] Cicadas sang in the height of summer. The school bell rang before Yan Zhi had even reached the school. She pressed her lips together, planning to sneak in through the back door. “Student, if you’re late, please sign in here.” Just as Yan Zhi thought she had made it onto campus without a hitch, someone suddenly tapped her on the back. She had no idea who had given away this secret spot, but lately someone had always been stationed there. Yan Zhi slowly turned around, planning to make up some identity and bluff her way through. “Yan Zhi?” Yan Zhi instinctively looked up. There stood the upperclassman she had been longing to see: You Li. “Long time no see, You Li.” Yan Zhi had imagined countless ways they might meet: at the campus store, in the rain, or during PE class. She had never imagined their reunion would begin with her being late. You Li was two years older than Yan Zhi. Back when she was in her first year of middle school, she was young and naive. You Li spoke as an outstanding student. “May the young aspire to soar like swans, and may they never let their youth go to waste.” Yan Zhi gazed intently at the boy onstage. Sunlight streamed through the leaves behind the flagpole and fell across You Li’s face, turning the dapples of light into decoration. Afterward, Yan Zhi studied hard, joined the student council, got to know You Li, and even managed to get his contact information. But she never dared to bother him. It wasn’t until the end of her first year of middle school that Yan Zhi finally sent her first message. “Good luck on your high school entrance exams, You Li!”