Moonlight

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[The story is complete. Thank you for reading and supporting it. My next story will be a short one.]

Lin Zhiyue and Chen Qilu grew up together, but to their neighbors, they were also the poor kids.

One was autistic, the other deaf.

One came from a family that favored boys to an extreme, while the other's mother had run away and his father did nothing but drink and gamble all day.

When Lin Zhiyue was fifteen, a gang of thugs blocked her way. Grinning lewdly, they patted her face. "Hey, little mute, lend us some money."

Fifteen-year-old Chen Qilu stepped in to save her. Wearing his hearing aid, his face covered in bruises, he smiled at her. "Don't be scared, Little Moon."

When the moon shone brightest, Chen Qilu would teach her to say his name. "Little Moon, say it with me: A-Lu."

Lin Zhiyue stammered along, one syllable at a time. "A... A-Liu."

The boy only smiled softly, then repeated it in a gentle voice. "A-Lu."

Lin Zhiyue: "A... Liu."

Chen Qilu smiled helplessly and stroked her hair. "A-Liu it is, then. After all, that's what my Little Moon calls me."

Later, on Lin Zhiyue's eighteenth birthday, Chen Qilu went with her to buy a cake. On the way back, a car swerved out of control and hurtled toward them.

Chen Qilu shoved her aside and was struck by the car himself.

Lin Zhiyue held his hand tightly, tears streaming down her face. "D-don't... don't fall asleep."

Lying on the ground, Chen Qilu struggled to speak. "Little... Moon, don't cry. Take care of yourself, okay? Could you call me A-Liu one more time?"

Choking back sobs, Lin Zhiyue called out, "A-Liu... A-Liu."

The boy answered softly, "I'm... I'm here." Then he slowly closed his eyes.

Only later did Lin Zhiyue learn that his death hadn't been an accident. But she was powerless to get justice for him, and even the police advised her to stop investigating.

That night, the moon was bright. She looked up at it and whispered, "A-Liu."

When she lowered her head, tears had already covered her face.

The boy she loved most died at eighteen, in the prime of his youth.

Her moon had been swallowed by this world, yet had drifted away from her alone.

Coming soon: Gentle as the Wild. Please add it to your reading list!

When Shu You was a freshman, a sophomore stopped her and confessed his feelings in front of everyone.

The younger student blushed as he confessed. She was torn, wondering how to turn him down gently, when a lazy male voice sounded from behind her. "You're a sophomore, right?"

The newcomer was Jiang Chi Ye, the boy next door who had grown up with her.

Tall and straight-backed, he looked at the younger student and asked in a casual tone.

Before the student could answer, Jiang Chi Ye's clear voice rang out. "Don't bother. She's already taken."

The student could only flee in a panic. Shu You breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Jiang Chi Ye.

He nodded at his leisure and smiled. "It's nothing. It's my honor to help my big sister out of a bind."

_

Later, at Jiang Chi Ye's graduation ceremony, he confessed to Shu You.

The young man lowered his eyes and looked at her earnestly, unusually nervous. "Xiao You, will you be with me?"

Shu You couldn't help laughing. "Call me Big Sister and I'll say yes."

Jiang Chi Ye's eyes darkened slightly. He called out in a muffled voice, "Big Sister, I like you. Will you be with me?"

Shu You smiled and nodded. "Of course."

A sweet childhood-friends romance.

The heroine is three years older than the hero.

Theme: Study hard and make progress every day.