Don't Let There Be Light

They first met in calligraphy class at eighteen. The boy, dubbed "the Architecture Department's number-one scribble artist," wore a confident grin. "Teacher, my writing's bad now, which means I've got plenty of room to improve. Take me on as your apprentice, and one day you'll be proud of me."

Amid the laughter, He Zuimo saw the mole on his chin sparkle as he moved.

They met again at school at twenty-seven. The winter draft swept through the corridors as chalk glided across the blackboard. With a brush in his left hand, he wrote elegant, flowing script. His students called him "the Literature Department's number-one calligrapher."

At the lectern, his smile was carefully measured, dimples appearing and disappearing as he said gently, "A left-handed person learning calligraphy. Now that's an inspiring story."

-

With her parents pressuring her to marry, He Zuimo had planned to find someone to team up with and make do. But then...

In a dimly lit bar, He Zuimo chatted quietly with a friend. Her phone, lying beside her, kept lighting up with messages from an unlisted number.

The messages went from updates about his schedule to asking if she wanted him to send a driver.

Her friend gave her a knowing smile. "Married life sounds pretty sweet."

He Zuimo smiled perfunctorily. "Isn't that how it is when you team up to get through life?"

At another bar packed with people,

a friend asked, "Why didn't you tell us you got married? When are you throwing a wedding banquet?"

Shu Yunzhi smiled amiably. "I'll let you know when we do."

A friend teased, "Why does it sound like someone held a knife to your neck and forced you into this marriage?"

-

Shu Yunzhi returned to City X for the opening ceremony of his elder brother's museum, and for once, gathered with all his old friends. Onstage, the woman was radiant, like a cloudless night sky with all its brilliant stars reflected in her eyes.

Shu Yunzhi watched every shift of her expression, every smile. His friends teased him, "Third Young Master, you're a married man now. Keep staring and I'll have to tell your wife."

He touched the wedding ring on his left ring finger and smiled.

Amid thunderous applause, Shu Yunzhi pushed his way through the crowd, reached out to steady her by the waist, and brought her before the stunned guests. "Come on, hurry up and tell the missus on me."

-

After parting from He Zuimo, all the light in Shu Yunzhi's world faded, leaving only a night with no dawn to come.

* They were each other's first love. After their breakup, the female lead dated several men, while the male lead only ever loved her.

* Reconciliation after a breakup, with marriage first and love after. The male lead never stopped thinking of her, while the female lead is carefree and oblivious.

* The female lead is caught in an intense tug-of-war between face-slapping and falling for him.

* Many original details.

November 26, 2022

Theme: Love is just a seasoning in life