Not quite an otome romance, but still an otome romance. A short story, complete in one go.
I can't quite explain what I'm trying to express. We were discussing it in a group chat, and someone said Zhang Jiale was perfect for a secret crush. I thought, that's true.
So I finished this story. It's about a boy who once shone in her youth, someone she could never forget.
It's bittersweet, in first person, with a reader-insert pairing and my take on Zhang Jiale. Read with caution.
*
Many years ago, he and I walked shoulder to shoulder in matching school uniforms, passing the same plane tree. A gust of wind blew through, the branches swayed, and the leaves rustled. We looked up at the same time, watching the same fallen leaf spiral down through the air.
We were so close then, so close that all I had to do was turn my head slightly to see the faint curve of his smile.
He was bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, even the strands of his hair glimmering with light.
*
Theme: Never forgetting
The secret love that ends in vain woo woo
I really like this article written by my wife. I am very touched.
It is the intertwining of ideals and reality. I had a beautiful dream. In the dream, the flowers were gorgeous, and I couldn't tell the difference between reality and reality. When I woke up, I was very moved, but I knew I had woken up from the dream.
Are the endings always so unsatisfactory?