At twenty-six, Xu Wenlin got drunk on the streets of San Francisco. Her close friend Chu Yi got the call, rushed over, and hailed a cab to take her home.
Her friend had just finished working overtime. The light-colored suit she wore carried the cool, subtle scent of cedar.
Xu Wenlin: "Engineer Chu, want to go skiing next month?"
Chu Yi shook her head. "I'm going back to China next month for a blind date."
Xu Wenlin fell silent.
Xu Wenlin didn't think of herself as a lesbian. Friends said things like this all the time. "Seriously, if I suddenly turned into a man, would you marry me?"
They were both from Lancheng. Xu Wenlin's family was in business, while Chu Yi's family worked in the public sector. Xu Wenlin thought she was a much better match than any of her friend's blind dates.
"If you turned into a man, then of course I'd..."
Chu Yi looked at her friend's face, thought for a few seconds, then smiled faintly.
"Sleep with you first."
A month later, Xu Wenlin was driving distractedly when a runaway truck came straight at her. She opened her eyes and found herself back at sixteen, transformed from a girl named Xu Wenlin into a boy named Xu Wenling.
At school, Chu Yi was quiet and reserved, with a small circle of friends. She had no idea how she'd offended that flirtatious young playboy, but one day, rumors started spreading throughout the entire grade that they were dating.
On the night after their college entrance exams, the rumors came true.
On the hotel bed, Xu Wenling moved as if he'd been holding back for a long time. "You said you wanted this."
Chu Yi clutched the fabric on her boyfriend's back, arching with a shiver. Her thoughts were in disarray, but at that, she became perfectly clearheaded: When exactly had she ever said that?!
*
A short story of a little over a hundred thousand words, from high school to university to marriage.
The female lead is one month older than the male lead. A month older is still older.
Theme: The one who understands you is the best one for you.
