Close, Though Miles Apart [Rental Apartment]

The summer Zhao Lingling failed the college entrance exam, her family pressured her to marry and have children. Instead, she boarded a train bound for the south with Chen Jin, who had just earned a place on the honor roll.

Fifty yuan bought them their first home: a windowless basement.

By day, they struggled to make ends meet. At night, they dreamed about the world beyond the window.

Zhao Lingling said, "I’m definitely going to study. The school is right next door. I’ll go once I’ve saved enough money."

Chen Jin pressed a boiled egg against her sore, aching eyes and teased her that she hadn’t even gotten around to studying before she’d nearly worked herself blind.

Chen Jin said, "What’s the point of studying? In the end, you still can’t beat the rich."

Zhao Lingling mended the holes in his clothes and scolded him for having something wrong with his head. No wonder he deserved to live in a basement without even a scrap of sunlight.

*

The night before they parted, Zhao Lingling packed everything he would need for college, then secretly sewed all the money she had saved over the years into his trousers.

Lying on the creaking metal bunk, Chen Jin asked if they would ever see each other again.

Zhao Lingling bit off the thread and answered without mercy, "Of course not. I don’t like poor students. I’m going to marry a rich man."

That night, the metal bed finally collapsed.

Chen Jin bit Zhao Lingling’s lip, then licked her wound.

"Zhao Lingling, when I’m rich, I’ll make you cry and beg me just like you did today."

Theme: A young man's spirit matters, and so do you.