In the silent night, the chirring of insects
could not drown out the pounding of Lin Xia's heart.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the dark room.
As the girl waited, her pale cheeks
turned from rosy red to crimson.
"Ding."
A message alert lit up her phone,
its brilliant glow cutting through the darkness.
Her heart pounded again and again,
the beat echoing from within her to her ears.
3
2
1
Lin Xia squeezed her eyes shut.
Her trembling hands opened the text message with practiced ease.
She stared fixedly at the message,
two tear tracks sliding from the corners of her eyes.
Yes, she'd only been staring at the phone screen for too long, and that was why she was crying.
It wasn't because her unrequited love had gone unanswered, or because she'd been overwhelmed by the sadness she'd imagined.
It was just...
Why were her tears pouring like a breached dam, flowing without end?
The phone screen had been untouched for too long,
and cruelly snuffed out its last glimmer of light.
"Lin Xia, I know it's April Fool's Day today. I know you don't like me, right? Happy April Fool's Day, too."
They say
that when a timid person falls for you,
the process of secretly loving you uses up all the courage they were born with.
If she shows even the slightest sign that she likes you,
and you like her too,
then take that tiny sign and go to her,
and tell her that your feelings for her are just as deep.
If you were lucky enough to meet the person you loved when you were young again,
would you bravely confess your feelings, so your youth would hold no regrets,
or keep that young love tucked away in your heart, leaving behind a mystery that never needed to exist?
Lin Xia chose to bring her youth to a close.