Knowing We Must Part

She was like a fish, swimming into Pei Zhi’s heart and stirring up a mighty wave.

Three-year-old Jiang Yu met Pei Zhi, who was two years older than her.

Ms. Yu said, “Xiao Yu, this is my godson, Pei Zhi. Say hello.”

Pei Zhi stared at her coolly, waiting for her to answer.

“Ba... bacon?”

Jiang Yu poked her head out and stared curiously at the boy before her. When she saw Pei Zhi’s expression, she shrank back in fright.

Still, although little Jiang Yu was afraid of Pei Zhi, she liked him a little, too. She liked handsome older boys who were taller than her. And so Jiang Yu became Pei Zhi’s little shadow, following him from kindergarten all the way through high school.

She stayed by his side for over a decade, until, “Hey, Xiao Yu, did you hear? Pei Chuan, a senior, confessed to someone under the teaching building!” Jiang Yu dropped everything and raced downstairs. She saw it. She saw Pei Zhi, the boy she had loved since childhood, kissing Lu Yu, his classmate. And she wasn’t the only one who saw them; all their classmates did. Every word of congratulations made Jiang Yu’s heart ache...