Baiya

Everyone says the young lady of the Wu family is gentle and innocent, like a clear moon or a soft lotus. Everyone likes being around her.

She isn't as beautiful as her older siblings, with only delicate, sweet features. But as the youngest, she's cherished and doted on by nearly everyone, held in the palm of their hands, except for... that person.

She harbors a secret: there's someone she's hated ever since childhood. That person is Bai Ya.

The day Bai Ya was brought home by her older brother, Wu Yue was captivated by the girl her own age at first sight. She was the most beautiful person Wu Yue had ever seen, even lovelier than her older sisters had been as children.

Back then, she naively thought, Bai Ya must be as easy to get along with as a fairy.

But reality soon proved her wrong.

Her older siblings went off to take care of things, leaving the two of them alone. Blushing, Wu Yue held out a friendly hand. "Hi! I'm Wu Yue. What's your name?"

Bai Ya glanced at her palm, turned away, and abruptly blurted out:

"Ha, damn it, what an annoying little brat."

Wu Yue's round, dark eyes widened.

Beautiful Bai Ya could swear!

And so, before their friendship had even set sail, their little boat capsized... Capsized... Capsized...

For the next twelve years, they rode to school in the same car every day, rain or shine. They saw each other constantly, yet somehow never got close.

Perhaps because her brother told Bai Ya to look after Wu Yue, the two of them ended up in the same class every year, from elementary school through university. As they grew up, Bai Ya's beauty became more and more dazzling, and she inevitably became the campus belle at every school, the center of attention wherever she went. Wu Yue, meanwhile, was utterly ordinary, just a somewhat cute young lady of the Wu family. Her light was completely overshadowed, leaving her as little more than a background character.

Wu Yue cupped her face and sighed. Forget it. Bai Ya and I have never gotten along anyway. As long as she doesn't pick on me, that's enough.

Over the years, their relationship wasn't exactly hostile, but it had frozen over.

Bai Ya didn't like Wu Yue, and Wu Yue didn't like Bai Ya. They maintained a delicate balance as the most familiar of strangers.

Yet on the day Wu Yue received the first love letter of her life, she couldn't understand why Bai Ya, who received countless letters every day, would cross the line they'd upheld for years, keeping out of each other's way, and glare fiercely at the pink paper in her hand.

Wu Yue's face said, "Meow? Confused."

Bai Ya viciously tore up her precious love letter. "You think he likes you, you idiot? He's after your family's money."

Wu Yue cried over the loss. "Nooo! I haven't even read it yet!"

Bai Ya irritably swept her long hair back and leaned over beside Wu Yue. Her silky black hair brushed against Wu Yue's fingertips as if no one else were there. "What do you want to read? I'll write it for you."

Wu Yue's fingers curled slightly, winding around the ends of Bai Ya's hair. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to pull away. Coming back to her senses, she replied softly, "I want you to write 'I'm sorry' a thousand times."

Bai Ya scoffed. "Hmph. What are you daydreaming about all day?"

But their school-days animosity continued into adulthood.

A few important content warnings:

Mutual pining

There is angst

It's not purely a school story. The school years are just memories.

Because of her position, the pursuer has a sexual past. Please don't read if that bothers you.

Most of the story takes place after they separate as adults.

Misunderstandings and melodrama abound.

Theme: Even love at first sight can last for many, many years