The Long River Flows into the Sea

The day he said he was going to marry the girl he had always loved, she smiled and wished him happiness, then turned and deleted all their chat history.

That was the third year she had spent by his side.

When he was down, she made him porridge. When he couldn’t sleep, she stayed up talking with him. When he said, “I’ll wait for you,” she believed him.

Later, he gave everything for the girl he had always loved, only to fall into ruin.

Everyone left. Only she crossed the city to come to him.

He asked, “Why did you still come?”

She said nothing.

Her seventeen-year-old self was still trapped in their promise, unable to move on.

After all the twists and turns, he finally understood:

No matter how beautiful the moonlight he’d chased in his youth, it could never compare to the light by his side, the one that had stayed with him from the mud all the way to the top.

Years later, at a high-profile interview,

a reporter asked, “If you could live your life over, would you still take that detour?”

He clasped his wife’s hand, eyes red and voice trembling.

“A detour? No. It was the only road that could lead me to her.”

“I once chased moonlight and gazed at the stars. It wasn’t until I held her hand that I found the sun that would light my whole life.”

His wife’s lips curved into a smile, tears in her eyes.

Thunderous applause filled the room.

Their daughter ran over and took their hands.

So what if he was worth a hundred billion?

If she frowned, he could freeze up in front of everyone for three whole seconds, too afraid to speak.

He had missed his chance once. This time, he would cherish her with all his heart and protect her for life.

After all

Every detour he took was only to find his way to her.

A note to readers:

May this long river of youth reflect all our regrets, and all the light in our lives.