In their second year of high school, Lin Wei transfers to a new school, like a bashful mimosa wrapped in a shell of reserve. Then she meets Jiang Yi, a boy whose smile shines like the sun and who lights up the basketball court.
He leaves warm milk in her desk, patiently helps her with math, and hands her his umbrella on rainy days while he runs through the rain himself. Lin Wei thinks she has finally found a ray of sunshine to call her own, not realizing that a weariness she can’t understand lies in the boy’s eyes.
Only later does she learn that every one of Jiang Yi’s smiles is a race against the countdown of his life. Every cruel thing he says to push her away comes from the same sincere wish: “I don’t want to be a burden to you.”
When another transfer notice lands in her hands, and a critical condition notice from the hospital takes the place of the boy’s smile, Lin Wei finally understands: some goodbyes, once spoken, last a lifetime.
Jiang Yi, your sunshine is so warm. Why couldn’t you wait for me and stay until the end of this summer?
