The Tide Recedes

Jin Chen, a sunny, self-obsessed chatterbox, and Li Ning, a proud, sensitive girl When they were young, Li Ning loved the bright, unabashed way he doted on her. Those little joys and fluttering feelings hidden in their youth were among the few truly happy moments of her life. She loved his carefree, unconventional nature, and he understood her sensitivity and pride. During their time together, they never let their emotions fester or their conflicts erupt. Both stubbornly believed they would stay by each other’s side for life. After they broke up, Li Ning often said she had once loved someone very, very much. But the person she spoke of was not him. Her friends would laugh and comfort her: “You just haven’t met anyone better yet.” She would gently shake her lowered head and smile bitterly. Only she knew she had met that person long ago, when she was seventeen. In countless moments walking side by side, they had sworn they would travel far together. Later, face to face, they made another promise through tears: never to meet again in this lifetime. Some feelings she left behind in that little city planted with parasol trees. Some regrets ebbed away with the distant sea.