(A place to leave your brain. Feel free to park it here before you start reading.)
Lu Zhiyu's online crush came to an abrupt end on the eve of her final exams. The other person cut off contact without warning, leaving her with feelings that had never been resolved.
She went alone to a city a thousand miles away for university. During military training, an orange-flavored candy brought her together with her class monitor, Su Hongzhi. A confession after taking the long way home on Christmas Eve, warm meals in the cafeteria, and an umbrella tilted toward her on rainy days: for a while, she thought she had finally found steady companionship.
But as time passed, a rift slowly grew between them. When she went home for winter break, Lu Zhiyu chose to end the relationship.
After they separated, Zhang Chen, who had disappeared from her life, got in touch again. He spoke of the unresolved feelings from back then and wanted to make up for the past. Su Hongzhi also hoped to mend their broken relationship.
Two long-overdue pleas for her to stay came one after another. Yet in a shared listening room on a music app, Lu Zhiyu found companionship that was easy and free of burdens.
There's no need to rush into choosing anyone.
When the crush she felt at eighteen came to an end, she gradually understood that a comfortable relationship isn't about being bound. It's about having a wide world of her own.
