On May 17, 2023, twenty-two-year-old Gu Zhixi met Qiqi, who was two years older than him, for the first time. That summer, they traveled from Nanjing to Changzhou, getting closer and closer under the shadow of the French paulownia tree. Gu Zhixi confessed his love to her before going to the United States to study, and Qiqi finally agreed to wait for him for two years.
After that, they fell in love with a twelve-hour time difference, and gradually drifted apart amidst the pressures of school, family, marriage and the future. After an argument, the two deleted all contact information.
Many years have passed, Gu Zhixi finished Harvard, continued his Ph. D., And headed towards the future he had promised. Qiqi also started his own life. But they still meet again occasionally.
Forty-nine meetings, seventeen years.
Fatong grows green and yellow every year. Some people don't accompany you until the end, but they are enough to keep you in mind for many years.
Purpose: To use a love and growth experience spanning seventeen years to write about the gains and losses of young people in distance, family, studies and life choices. Time changes relationships and reinterprets past commitments. Growth means understanding the boundaries of love, and it also means being able to cherish a real relationship many years later.