The road ahead is long, and so are the years.
Beneath the veil of dim mist,
The night before dawn stretches on.
Beneath the setting sun's afterglow,
Warm light slants through the covered corridor.
Its glow falls across the young man's face.
The dark days of his youth
Gradually turn to warm light.
In a monotonous black-and-white world,
They blossom into drifting bubbles.
The dark days of his youth
Are now adorned with the gentle colors of spring.
A girl approached the boy, holding a large bunch of baby's breath.
"Lu Xiuyuan."
The boy heard his own name on the girl's lips.
He tilted his head slightly to meet her gentle, ardent gaze, as if this moment would never end, repeating forever.
The sun sank slowly. Even its afterglow disappeared. Specks of sunlight streamed through the window and slanted across the covered corridor, falling on the boy's clean, bright face. It was as if the other shore were close, and the future clear. People gradually left the corridor. At last, the light stretched farther and farther away. Now only the breeze and setting sun remained, as the two gazed at each other from afar.
"Lu Xiuyuan, happy graduation."
The baby's breath rested in her hands, with a card of congratulations nestled among the flowers. The boy looked closely and saw the words written on it:
"Happy graduation. May your future be bright. There is still light on the other shore, and the future is clear."
The girl quickened her pace. Then she heard the boy say,
"You too."
A few seconds later, she heard him say,
"Qi Nian, you're really wonderful."
The girl turned around.
"You too, Lu Xiuyuan. I know I'm wonderful."
Then she turned and embraced him, leaned close to his ear, and said, "And... goodbye."
Lu Xiuyuan froze. He didn't know what she meant by goodbye. Did she mean they would meet again, or... would they never see each other again?
Theme: Redemption
