Crows Don't Speak Sweet Nothings

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1.

Ning Zao and Li Chengzhi had never belonged to the same world.

One was a quiet girl from the mountains, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a blue-and-white school uniform, the most forgettable person in any crowd.

The other was a spirited city boy, surrounded by friends and admired by everyone, a darling of fate.

She buried herself in her books and studied with all her might, all to get into the university he'd casually mentioned. But when she finally got in, he had gone abroad.

At a class reunion, she lost a game of Truth or Dare and, emboldened by alcohol, confessed her feelings to him.

His eyes were bright. He smiled faintly and clinked his glass against hers. "Old classmate, I wish you a bright future."

2.

Years later, they met again.

A classmate teased her, saying she was a war hero who'd survived against all odds and was surely due for good fortune. If she was single, she should consider one of their old classmates.

Ning Zao smiled but said nothing.

Halfway through the drinking session, she slipped out to get some air at the end of the corridor. Suddenly, he appeared.

Ning Zao stuck to the boundaries between old classmates and greeted him politely. "Long time no see, old classmate."

He held a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers. His eyes narrowed as if the smoke had stung them, and he closed in on her step by step.

"Old classmate? The kind you sleep with and then run away from?"

[Crows don't know how to say sweet things. Neither do I know how to say I love you.]

Theme: Love and peace