1.
The first time Lin Zhiqing met Ji Shiyu was on a rainy day.
A large black umbrella lay beside her. Through her face, blurred with tears, she saw the upright silhouette of a young man, straight as a pine tree, beyond the misty curtain of rain.
Ji Shiyu was the favored son of heaven who had held the top spot on the honor roll for years.
The young man had handsome features and a cool, courteous manner. His looks and family background were both top-notch, and he was always the kind of child teachers held up as an example to others.
She studied relentlessly day and night, made it into his elite class, and became the student seated behind him.
The boldest thing she ever did was pretend she'd run out of paper so she could borrow some from him.
When he handed the notebook back, the soft, cool pad of the young man's finger brushed across her palm.
Lin Zhiqing's heart pounded like a drum in an instant.
She got into the same top university as him, as she had hoped, and thought she had taken a step closer to him.
Until she heard that Ji Shiyu's whole family would be moving abroad after he graduated.
At last, she decided to give up.
Chasing someone's back was exhausting. She couldn't keep up anymore.
2.
After learning that Lin Zhiqing had a boyfriend, Ji Shiyu gave a quiet nod when his father brought up the immigration plan again. For once, he didn't lapse into his usual silence.
The day before leaving the country, Ji Shiyu was tidying his study when he happened to find the unfinished draft notebook from his senior year of high school.
On the last page, alongside the marks left by his writing, there was a neat, elegant line in the lower right corner:
"I like for you to be still."
I like the way you are quiet.
The date written beneath it was the day she'd borrowed his notebook.
He thought with regret: It seems it's all too late now.
A story of crossed timelines and a "mutual" unrequited love.
[Her secret love is a silent tide. It is quiet as it rises, and waits for a response as it falls.]
Blurb written on August 21, 2023, screenshot saved
Theme: Leave no regrets
