The plane trees outside the window shed their leaves, then turned green again, while the cicadas sang through the entire scorching summer of senior year.
Pei Yuchuan was the dazzling boy in class. His figure on the basketball court drew waves of cheers, while the backs of his worksheets were filled with the profile of the girl sitting diagonally in front of him. His affection was clumsy but passionate: a bottle of mineral water offered with red ears after a basketball game, and countless glances he couldn't bring himself to turn into words.
Song Zhiyun was the cool-headed top student, at home in the soft scratch of her pen as it crossed exam papers. She had seen the feelings in his eyes long ago, but pretended not to understand, taking his devotion for granted. Her best friend was always talking in her ear about an outstanding upperclassman. Those little comments fell into Pei Yuhang's heart and grew into a misunderstanding he couldn't untangle.
The college entrance exam bell rang, and their acceptance letters left them on opposite ends of a vast country.
It wasn't until their class reunion, when Pei Yuchuan arrived with his girlfriend, that Song Zhiyun belatedly panicked. The feelings she'd set aside had quietly missed their chance somewhere along the way.
Theme: Missing your chance isn't a decision made in a single moment. It is the accumulation of countless hesitations and pretending not to see. Sometimes, one turn away marks the end of an entire youth.
