The Boy Who Never Came Home

Xu Mo's youth was a solitary island in the third row by the library window, an old book that lay open but always remained on the same page. The sycamore leaves fell and grew back, while he remained alone. He was quiet and taciturn, an inexpressible chill wrapped around his eyes and brows. Even when he walked, he kept close to the walls, afraid of disturbing anyone, and even more afraid of being disturbed. Then Wen Zhiyi, the school bully, appeared like a sudden gust of fierce wind, shattering his fortress of silence.

Wen Zhiyi was famous throughout the school. His uniform was always unbuttoned, and his unruly eyes showed beneath his tousled fringe. He fought hard and spoke harshly, but he was “special” only to Xu Mo. He would kick open the library door and slam warm milk onto the corner of Xu Mo's desk, barking, “Don't faint from hunger.” When Xu Mo was cornered by thugs in an alley, Wen Zhiyi would rush in to help without a word, then turn away afterward and snap, “What an idiot. Couldn't you dodge?” He would claim the seat beside Xu Mo and pretend to sleep, while keeping his eyes fixed on Xu Mo's profile as he bent over his writing, even quieting his breathing.

Su Wanhe would secretly bring Xu Mo snacks and tell him not to get too close to Wen Zhiyi. Lin Yanqiu would occasionally look up, catch Wen Zhiyi staring at Xu Mo, then silently look away. Lu Zhiyao followed Wen Zhiyi around and teased him along with everyone else, but he knew what the school bully was thinking and only dared to joke about it behind his back. Xu Mo wasn't unaware of Wen Zhiyi's clumsy tenderness. He was just used to being alone. He feared that this passionate approach was only a passing whim, and even more that he would be left with nothing if he let himself fall too deeply.

On graduation day, sycamore leaves fell everywhere. Wen Zhiyi clutched a crumpled confession note and waited outside the library. When Xu Mo walked out with his schoolbag on, Wen Zhiyi's Adam's apple bobbed again and again, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to speak. Xu Mo looked up and met the emotions surging in his eyes. He paused, then lowered his head and walked past. The wind lifted his clothes and carried away Wen Zhiyi's unspoken feelings.

In the days that followed, Xu Mo still often went to the library. The seat in the third row by the window was still empty, but the boy who used to kick in the door with milk and fiercely protect him was gone. The wind passed through the pages, carrying the boy's unruly spirit, but the school bully who had once tried, in the clumsiest way, to give him all his tenderness would never come back.

Theme: Don't let them slip away