All the students at Chunhua Elementary knew that Cheng Zhen, who came from a single-parent family, had a pretty little shadow who was rich beyond measure.
The little shadow called her Zhenzhen-jie when she couldn't read, when she cried, and even when she fell while dancing. She was hopelessly attached to her.
Under pressure, Cheng Zhen had no choice but to speak coldly: "I'm just the child of your family's servant. Don't cling to me anymore."
Bo Shitian, the little shadow with dimples, smiled brightly. "But I like you."
Cheng Zhen lowered her head and said nothing, the tips of her ears turning red.
She didn't know what love was.
*
In her second year of high school, Cheng Zhen began serializing a novel. It became a huge hit and was successfully published.
In the afterword of the print edition, she wrote with restrained solemnity:
Dedicated to the girl I love.
Bo Shitian: QAQ
Zhenzhen-jie actually has someone she likes.
Years later, Bo Shitian, hailed by the public as a goddess of classical dance, held the book and posted on Weibo:
So it was me after all OuO
[Little Scene]
The rain fell in fits and starts outside the window. The curtains shifted between light and shadow as one woman kissed another on the cheek, their gazes lingering and the air charged with intimacy.
Bo Shitian sat up and pushed open the window, letting the breeze cool the flush on her face.
She thought in a daze, so two girls can be this close?
"Are you okay?"
A concerned voice came from behind her. She snapped out of it and turned to Cheng Zhen, whose face was as calm as ever.
"I'm fine, just a little hot."
She lay back down. The familiar presence beside her made her heart beat faster.
Cheng Zhen nodded, said nothing more, and didn't look again at her shining eyes.
[I want to be air, resting on you for only a moment.
I want to go unnoticed, yet be indispensable.]
Joseph Brodsky
Theme: Let the world be filled with love
