A Long Chapter Through Summer

It was a chaotic night: damp, stifling, filled with the chirping of cicadas, all the things unique to summer that make a person restless. When they woke the next morning, Fu Jiayan opened his mouth to speak. Xie Kou ruffled her messy hair and said, utterly carefree, "I thought it was pretty good. What about you?" He silently swallowed his words, his face cold. "Not so great. It was like I got into a fight with you." Later, it was morning again. He spoke first this time: "If the police showed up, you'd be convicted of intentional assault." "..." * Throughout their three years of high school, Xie Kou and Fu Jiayan were famous for not getting along. They were like two kings who never crossed paths. It all started when his basketball hit her in the head. After that, they fought tooth and nail for first place in their grade. After graduation, they went to universities far apart from each other, and everyone thought they would never cross paths again. Until a class reunion. * When those old rivals met again, they should have been at each other's throats, or smiling with daggers hidden behind their backs. In reality: Fu Jiayan elbowed someone else out of the way and sat beside Xie Kou. Like a meek little wife, he clung to her arm and leaned in to ask, "You're not still mad, are you?" She pressed a hand to his head and pushed him away, smiling without warmth. "Fu, we're not that close." "How much closer do we have to get before we're close, honey?" As soon as he said it, they met the shocked gazes of everyone around them. * Ever since that summer of the college entrance exams, they had fought one long, drawn-out battle after another, with no telling who would win or lose. Or perhaps they had both suffered defeat, losing in body and soul. One-on-one | Happy ending | High school and college campus #I'm terrible at writing blurbs. See the author's note in Chapter One for content warnings. #No intimacy before adulthood. Theme: Love every day of life.