Peach Blossoms Can't Buy Wine

"I'm together with my unrequited love!" Tao Ran wrote in her new book when she was twenty-five. Their story had begun when they were sixteen.

The year Tao Ran met Chen Nian, she had just turned sixteen. At the high school's sports meet, she bent down to pick up her meal card and accidentally picked up a boy instead.

Chen Nian had just finished running the 800 meters. The moment he crossed the finish line, he saw Tao Ran crouched in front of him. Neither of them could have imagined that this collision would set their future in motion.

Everyone knew Tao Ran liked Chen Nian. She would sneak him water before his PE class, buy him a whole bag of chicken drumsticks when she heard he'd hurt his leg, worry herself sick over him, and strive to become a better version of herself because of him. What she didn't know was that, throughout what she thought was her one-sided love, Chen Nian had been looking back at her too.

Only Chen Nian knew that he liked Tao Ran. He would skip half a day of class to take her to accept an award, organize a study group because she wasn't good at math, go far out of his way to buy the cakes she liked, and tell her under the stars that she was his sky.

But reality did not grant them a peaceful life. With each change of circumstance, Chen Nian's pride slowly faded from his eyes. Because of upheaval in his family, he and Tao Ran missed each other for five years.

Five years can change many things, but luckily, Tao Ran was the unexpected constant.

"Sorry I'm late."

"It's okay. I'm still waiting for you."

Theme: The awakening of an idealistic coward