[Rewrite is being scrapped. The original can be read, but will not be offered as the new edition!]
Beneath the lantern tree, one figure's shadow stretched long and thin. Only Shen Feng knew how heavy the invitation in her hand felt.
She had imagined their reunion countless times. Perhaps it would happen on some street where they crossed paths again, or perhaps they would simply brush past each other as acquaintances. But she never expected to receive his "wedding invitation."
Beneath her lowered gaze was a crumpled red mark, already creased and wrinkled:
An invitation with no name on it.
A wedding invitation born of an unrequited crush.
*
In early spring, many years ago, Suzhou was hit by sleet as bitterly cold as anything in the depths of winter.
People taking shelter from the rain crowded outside a breakfast shop. The owner wasn't bothered in the least, warmly inviting them in to have a bowl of steaming noodles.
Shen Feng sat in a corner, looking at the noodles she had already eaten half of. The moment she raised her eyes, she met someone's gaze head-on.
The young man was handsome, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. A brown mole rested beneath them, and the jacket he wore looked quite expensive.
His voice had a faintly husky quality, perhaps from a cold, but it sounded pleasant.
When she didn't respond, Zhao Jingshan took the initiative, pulled out a plastic stool, and sat directly across from her. "Mind if I share your table?"
The pain in her mouth brought her back to herself. The wire of her braces had scraped the soft tissue on her right cheek. Shen Feng quickly lowered her head, unable to stop herself from frowning. "It's fine. I'm done eating."
At the time, Shen Feng only thought the boy was handsome and didn't look approachable. All she wanted was to get away. She never imagined she would one day fall for Zhao Jingshan.
They had never been on the same path. The point where their lines crossed was nothing more than two people meeting and getting entangled with each other.
Shen Feng used to think they would be better off as parallel lines, never meeting, keeping a fixed distance between them forever.
"The secret I've kept hidden / in every morning"
*True inferiority complex x fake propriety
*Unrequited love / school years transitioning to city life / BE
*The final line is from Eason Chan's Don't Talk. Please contact me for removal if necessary.
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Theme: Secret love
It's just a pity that the person I once liked for a long, long time has become someone else's.
Thank you, the boy who once stayed in eternal youth.
Later revision, not the final version
2023.2.10
(?°з°)-?
Jiang Tong, don't be the coward in secret love in your next life