Three's No Crowd

Sheng Siyi has two childhood friends. Wen Shan, the younger one, is the same age as her, while Wen Bai, the older one, is two grades ahead. People say a triangle is the most stable shape. Sheng Siyi thought the bond between the three of them was the same: stable and peaceful, remaining unchanged forever. Until the day of their high school graduation party. In a brightly lit karaoke room, Sheng Siyi loses a game and shares a Pocky stick with Wen Shan, each biting one end. Amid their classmates' cheers, they inch closer and closer until they can't get any closer. Both of them are stiff with embarrassment. In the boy's widening, excited pupils, Sheng Siyi sees her own reflection and unfamiliar emotions that seem ready to spill over and engulf her. She doesn't notice the karaoke room door opening and closing. The next moment, a familiar voice sounds above her. "Neither of you move. Your big brother is going to take a picture to remember this." Click. The slender biscuit stick snaps. She looks up with half a Pocky stick between her teeth. Wen Bai's smile as he looks at her and his younger brother is as gentle as ever, with a hint of indulgent teasing, if not for the way his fingers on her shoulder dig in until they hurt. From that day on, everything changed. * Keywords: childhood friends, love triangle; brothers competing for the job Original blurb: 2022.05.14 Theme: The bonds of youth last a lifetime