The first time Zhong Xia met Yan Su was on a winter afternoon.
Flames of cloud spread across the horizon, orange-red meeting violet-blue. It was an abrupt yet inexplicably harmonious sight, just like her and him.
The car window rolled down slowly, revealing half of him and half of the gorgeous sky.
The hazy memories she had of him then gradually became clear over time, each moment turning into a frame in an album titled Companionship.
"Meeting you was a dream on a midsummer night."
"But I held on to it."
-
Before they got to know each other, Zhong Xia thought her deskmate, Yan Su, seemed to have a rebellious streak in every bone. He was unruly and hated being told what to do. Nothing and no one could stir his interest. He spent all day lazing around, looking at everyone with a cold, menacing expression that said, "Keep your distance."
They had always minded their own business, until one morning he tilted his head and stared intently at Zhong Xia just after she set down her bag. Then he greeted her of his own accord: "Good morning, deskmate."
His tone was casual, the corners of his peach-blossom eyes tinged red as he looked her over with interest, as if... he'd only just realized he had a deskmate. :)
That was when everything started to feel strange.
-
Yan Su never expected that his deskmate, who looked like she was saying, "I'm so easygoing, go ahead and pick on me," would turn out to be such a tough girl.
When someone deliberately knocked over her desk, scattering her books and test papers across the floor, then tried to brush it off with, "I didn't do it on purpose," the little girl kept her expression calm, but tears had already welled up in her eyes.
He thought his soft-hearted deskmate would just have to swallow her anger.
But to his surprise, he saw the girl give a good-natured shake of her head, slowly move aside, then go red in the face as she used all her strength to kick over the other girl's desk, giving her a taste of her own medicine. "I didn't do it on purpose either."
"..."
Yeah, right. Not on purpose.
But...
That was kind of interesting.
-
One day, the girl rested her head on her arm and asked him, "Why are you so nice to me?"
He didn't understand why she would ask that.
In Yan Su's world, there was only one Zhong Xia, unique and irreplaceable. If he didn't cherish her, who would he cherish?
Content warnings:
The female and male leads are ordinary people, not perfect in every way.
This story is fairly low-key.
Updates are irregular.
Written at an elementary-school level.
Elementary-school-level imagination.
If you don't like it, please don't leave hateful comments. Just click the X.
Inspired by real life.
Theme: Everyone can shine.
