Ode to the Cicada

Liang Fengzhou was the golden boy of high school, with a wealthy family and outstanding grades.

He was an openhearted, free-spirited boy, growing into himself without restraint.

Kong Chan was an ordinary student who had come from the countryside to attend school in the city. On the day she reported to school, she was even sporting an alternative hairstyle.

Hoping to fit in, Kong Chan greeted Liang Fengzhou first after becoming his deskmate.

When they graduated after the 2012 college entrance exams, Kong Chan followed the crowd and filled out a yearbook entry for Liang Fengzhou. One was proper and conventional; in the other, she wrote about the bittersweet feelings she had harbored for years, in handwriting that was hard to make out.

"For some people, turning away means never seeing them again. Liang Fengzhou, you are that kind of person to me."

"The sun is still the sun even after it leaves humanity behind. But I have to go on with my own life, too, so my feelings have to stop here. Chasing the sun was both hard and sweet. If we really meet again, please be the first to say hello."

They met again at a crowded subway station.

Liang Fengzhou walked up to Kong Chan first, looking into her eyes as if trying to take in all the years of missing her. "Even if you didn't want me to recognize you, I knew you were the one who wrote it. I know your handwriting. I even practiced copying it many times."

The summer cicadas' shrill cries were an aria in Liang Fengzhou's heart.

Kong Chan tilted her head up, her heart giving a small jolt.

Amid the hubbub, Liang Fengzhou smiled and whispered in her ear, "Hello, Kong Chan."

The shadows of the subway windows fell across the white walls, like stitches in the fabric of youth, racing across Kong Chan's heart.

"If we meet again, when we meet again, please say hello first. I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from hugging you."

Theme: Love yourself even as you love someone else.