The Year of Passion and Cicadas

In 2010, the summer at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was stifling, like being trapped inside a steamer, while cicadas screamed themselves hoarse.

Lin Bei thought youth was all about brotherhood, loyalty, and settling scores. He and Monkey, Ah Hao, and Fatty swore a blood oath, skipped class to play games at internet cafes, got into fights, and even fell in with an underworld boss named Lao Hei. They thought they were making their way in the underworld, never realizing that the underworld has no place for boys.

When school bully Lu Hao held a knife to his neck, Lin Bei didn’t even furrow his brow.

But when his father stooped over and placed his bankbook by his bed, Lin Bei’s hands began to shake.

When Su Wan risked being ostracized by the entire school just to bring him a stack of revision notes, his heart grew uneasy.

And when his best friend was sentenced and turned to look at him one last time in court, he finally understood:

Some battles can’t be won with your fists. Some people can’t be held by loyalty.

The pages on the countdown to the college entrance exams kept turning. At life’s crossroads, Lin Bei stood between two paths: the world of the underworld, all blades and bloodshed, and the warm, welcoming road home.

This time, which path will he choose?

The cicadas still sing, but the boy is no longer the same.

This is a story of passion and growing up, betrayal and redemption, dedicated to all of us who were once reckless and eventually came to our senses.