On the night the power went out on Skerin Street, Wen Ying met Xu Muzhi for the first time.
Candles flickered in the Rose Bar. Amid the noisy crowd, she drew a truth-or-dare card. Her friends pointed to a man on the street and told her to get his contact information.
The man wore a finely tailored suit and toyed with a Zippo lighter in his long fingers.
Cool and handsome, he stood out from the crowd.
She was almost certain at first glance that he was Chinese.
By the scattered firelight, Wen Ying asked him in Chinese, "Excuse me, could I borrow a light?"
The man glanced at her, put away his lighter, and lowered his eyes with a smile. "Kids who play with fire wet the bed."
-
Before the blizzard arrived, road signals in the East District went down.
Wen Ying was stranded at the Wellington Residence.
At the time, Xu Muzhi had just finished an online forum. He went downstairs and asked the attendant at the front desk for a cup of coffee.
The lobby was bustling. He saw her lovely profile, so out of place among the people around her. She showed no sign of anxiety or despair, patiently wiping snowmelt from the cover of her award certificate.
Xu Muzhi passed in front of her and stopped.
Amid the jumble of Indo-European languages, he gently asked her in Chinese, "Would you like to come upstairs?"
-
But good times don't last. The situation changed in an instant.
For reasons beyond his control, Xu Muzhi had to leave at once for a place more than three thousand miles away, with no set date for his return.
On a warm spring day, he walked Wen Ying back to school. They said nothing along the way.
At last, he patted her head and said only one thing.
"Don't cry, Yingying. Be brave and keep moving forward."
○ Government-sponsored exchange student and interpreter x diplomat
○ Brave and bright x gentle and refined
○ Seven-year age gap
Enjoy!
Blurb dated September 20, 2022 / Cover: @SweetIce
Theme: Be brave and fearless. Never compromise.
