Mu Tong first realized her first love was over on an afternoon when she had a fever.
Her boyfriend texted, "I'm studying," while another girl posted a nine-photo grid on her social feed. Her boyfriend's wrist scar was clearly visible in one of the pictures.
She didn't cry or make a scene. She saved a screenshot, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
A week later, when they broke up, she said just one word: "Fine."
Then she turned and walked away without looking back.
Later, when Qin Xubai treated her well, she knew it.
The seats he always saved for her, the milk tea with one-third sugar and no ice, his offhand suggestion that she "give the TOEFL a try." She wasn't made of wood. She accepted all his kindness, but she was still trapped in her last relationship, too afraid to look back.
Besides, Qin Xubai was the kind of person who was brilliant, dazzling, and had a limitless future. Everyone thought it was unbelievable that someone like her could stand beside him. She couldn't be sure what kind of future the two of them could have.
Until one day, he said, "Come with me."
She looked at the person standing before her. He was too handsome, too smart, and far too good to her.
But she still said, "I'm not going."
It wasn't that she didn't like him.
She just wouldn't accept every arrangement simply because she liked someone.
Perhaps all she felt was affection, and that affection couldn't bear the weight of so much more.
This is a story about missed chances, growing up, and finally meeting again.
Theme: True love isn't about saving someone. It's about two independent people each becoming the best version of themselves, then making their way to each other.
