When the students were divided into science and humanities tracks in their second year of high school, Qi Yaoyan found herself seated in front of Lu Xuci, the top student in their grade.
She was an ordinary, quiet, reserved girl with a heart full of secrets. He was a cool, disciplined academic star who kept everyone at a distance.
From then on, his back filled her peripheral vision. His name covered the corners of her scratch paper, and her notebook held two whole years of secret affection that no one knew about.
She grew used to sneaking glances at his profile as he worked through problems in the morning light, listening for the rhythm of his fingers tapping the desk during evening study hall, and quietly following the crowd at sports meets just to watch him cross the finish line.
She thought this crush, which began in early autumn, would be a private storm raging only inside her. She didn't know that he had quietly noticed every little thing she tried so carefully to hide.
It turned out that his tenderness had never been one-sided. Every unnoticed approach and every quiet act of consideration had been part of a mutual journey unfolding through time.
This is a story of restraint and affection, silence and tenderness, and the purest, most enduring kind of young love.
Theme: The mutual tenderness and growth found in young love. Love and courage will find each other in the end.
