[Please scroll down for the ten-year revised edition. Full text by @Ling Yi01. You can scroll down for reading tips before you begin. Enjoy!]
Blurb One
One day, just after Su Xiangnuan had dealt with Gu Qinghan's "admirers," she demanded an explanation from him. "Can you stop being so charming? If you keep this up, who knows how many good girls will be heartbroken."
Gu Qinghan mentally went through all the women he'd spoken to more than a few times over the years. From his perspective, it went like this: His future sister-in-law, who had lived next door since childhood, praised her endlessly. A cool, aloof upperclasswoman was fond of her and always did whatever she asked. A girl who'd had a crush on him since middle school treated her as her life coach. Even the woman he'd been arranged to marry for business reasons was so taken with her that she invited her to get their nails done...
A line his girlfriend had once said suddenly popped into his head: "My friend who flirts with everyone."
Oh, and the provincial science-stream top scorer from their year wanted to thank her in his doctoral dissertation.
He had no way to defend himself. "I think they like you more now."
Blurb Two
After the college entrance exams, everyone assumed they'd get together. Who knew he'd leave without saying goodbye, leaving her only a letter?
Years later, they meet again. He is reduced to nothing, and she steps forward to hug him. In that instant, he forgets all the exhaustion and anguish of the years gone by.
Gu Qinghan's perspective: She's just too adorable. I'm so boring, I shouldn't leave her with a bad impression.
Su Xiangnuan's perspective: I'm a pro at slacking off, and he's such a keen student. I mustn't distract him.
Their classmates' perspective: Who wouldn't love Su Xiangnuan? Save us a piece of wedding candy. We've been shipping you two forever.
A story about a heroine who goes from unnoticed to adored by everyone, while also finding her life partner, and a whole cast of friends who all grow up well.
Warm, free-spirited little sunshine VS aloof beauty brought down from her pedestal
Social media blogger VS university lecturer
[Reading Tips]
1. This story is entirely fictional.
2. An attempt to put a new twist on an old story.
3. Everyday slice of life. High school: city life is about 5:2.
4. Taking the male lead off his pedestal: he's just a normal, decent guy.
5. Not a two-person show; there is an ensemble cast. The leads aren't the only ones who shine.
6. A few characters reflect on structural dilemmas. These reflections serve the characters and try to find a way forward that isn't too heavy-handed. They may not be groundbreaking or sharp enough. Some of these issues were not yet discussed so widely or publicly at the time. After thinking it over, I decided to keep them in. They're things Su Xiangnuan and others have to face, and they still haven't been fully resolved today.
7. Utopia!!! An ideal flower blooming in the soil of reality. The romance is the most idealized part. Please don't read too much of reality into the plot.
Theme: We are all the protagonists of our own stories
Synchronize a hasty postscript~ This article was originally written in 2016, when I was not yet in high school. When I finished it many years ago, Xiang Nuan Qinghan was not together. I was always dissatisfied when I read it again, so I thought about refining it. I started working on it in 22 years, and it was not until last year that I got a relatively good ending. Most of the first and second years of high school were written before, and the third year of high school was basically rewritten. In the city, only the setting of Ji Xi was retained, and even their jobs were changed. There were no group portraits in the previous story line, and even Xiang Nuan Qinghan had vague labels, just like their names, one "nuan" and the other "cold". I really wanted to write about "people", about the influence of the original family on the growth of children, about the precious friendships in school days, and about the pure love that attracts each other due to the quality of their souls. That's how "Spring Never Ends" came to be. Xiangnuanqianhan no longer has a vague label. Xiang Nuan is at ease and carefree, follows his heart, and is spiritually rich; Xiang Nuan is calm and restrained, humble and tolerant, and emotionally stable. The other friends also have their own joys, sorrows, sorrows and joys: Jiayi is cheerful and bold, Li Ke is proud and flamboyant, but they also have their own delicacy when facing the people they care about; Xia Han is quiet and hardworking, Fang Bei is sunny and enthusiastic, Tu Qi is firm in his ideals... In the sickly and depressed senior year of high school, they held hands, fought side by side, and fought a beautiful battle. The friendship between them did not end with graduation, but became stronger over time. Even after work, they were willing to get together from time to time even though they were thousands of miles apart. Later, Xiang Nuan, Qinghan, Jiayi and Li Ke held a wedding together. They danced at the dinner. Qinghan's wish to dance with Xiang Nuan when he was young was fulfilled. Fang Bei, as the witness, watched his close friends since childhood walk into the marriage hall. He also put aside his obsession and drew a picture of Su Lin, Gu and Li performing a show at the dinner. Like. I know that I am too idealistic, with limited knowledge and short-sightedness. What I write will inevitably be a bit naive. In the future, I will gradually enrich and improve it. I will grow, and so will the characters in my writing. What this article wants to express is to "love yourself well" and "everyone is the protagonist in the youth story". We are ordinary, but we are also unique. Even if we are quiet and deserted, we still shine in our own small universe. Finally, to borrow a sentence from Xiang Nuan, "Spring never ends, we revive all things." Thank you again for your company, see you in the next story! (I really shouldn't have. It's been more than a year since I remembered that the postscript was out of sync. I also hope that readers who read this can leave their precious thoughts or suggestions. Thank you again for accompanying them through this never-ending spring day!)