Chasing the Long Summer

[Sunlight reaches the window, and it reaches through the cracks, too] Childhood sweethearts | Mutual pining | Healing and growth | Ensemble cast Sang Yu and Wen Sizhe were born together and grew up together. One was sweet and lovable. Apart from her pretty face, the only things she had going for her were her people skills and her ability to lie flat and stay out of the world's way. The other got away with everything on good looks. Apart from his face, he had perfect grades, a wall full of honors, and national competition awards... Summer break, eighth grade. Sang Yu had heard her mother going on about how wonderful Wen Sizhe was. “Shouldn't Wen Sizhe's surname be Sang?” she shot back, then leaped onto the balcony just before a cushion came flying at her. Wen Sizhe was waiting there. A few flecks of afternoon sunlight fell on him through the trees. The boy looked sleepy and languid. Holding a manga book disguised with a “Chinese” textbook cover between his fingers, he glanced up at her. “Sang Yu, let's get into the affiliated middle school together.” Sang Yu: ... She glanced at the “hostage” in his hand and hesitantly nodded. - Once you start working hard, there's no turning back. Dark circles under her eyes, Sang Yu listened as her best friend waxed lyrical about how someone was practically the hero of a school romance, her eyes sparkling with pink hearts. Sang Yu ruthlessly burst her bubble. “His math and Chinese scores aren't as high as mine...” Just as the bubble was about to pop, her friend clapped a hand over her mouth and let out a low wail. Thinking of how Wen Sizhe hadn't even lifted an eyelid when she showed him their grades, Sang Yu signaled for her friend to move her hand. “Just wait. I'll get first place and rub your school-romance hero into the ground!” The next day, Wen Sizhe finished his speech at the podium and looked down. His gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Sang Yu. “Finally, congratulations to Sang Yu for placing second in the citywide exam. I'll be waiting for you...” The boy paused briefly, the corners of his lips lifting. His low voice carried to every corner of the school. “To rub me into the ground.” - It was a sweltering summer day. Their friends went to buy popsicles. As they came out of the shop, they spotted Wen Sizhe, who normally wouldn't touch ice, standing beneath a tree in front of Sang Yu, head slightly lowered. “Give me a bite.” Sang Yu offered him the side she hadn't bitten. Wen Sizhe leaned in and took a bite where she had already bitten. [Between the sky and you lies my entire long summer.] Golden boy × dark horse girl Super scholar × comeback slacker Reader's note: 1. This story is slow to warm up. 2. An ensemble coming-of-age story about family, romance, and friendship. It has sweetness, sourness, heartache, and pain. This is not a purely sweet school romance! This is not a purely sweet school romance! 3. The timeline alternates between “Prologue” (the past) and “Long Summer” (the present). You can read in chapter order, but I recommend reading “Prologue” first, followed by “Long Summer,” in chronological order. 4. The exam system is based on Zhejiang, with some fictional details. Next up: The Prelude to Winter 1. Four years after breaking up with Huo Yuheng, Li Dong returned to the country with her son, Li You. The airport was crowded with people just before Lunar New Year. Li Dong looked away for a moment, and Li You, who'd been right beside her, disappeared. Frantically searching, Li Dong spotted his little figure in the distance, weaving through the crowd and running toward a man about to leave the airport. He hugged the man's leg and seemed to call him Dad. Li Dong's heart skipped a beat. The man turned around, revealing a refined, impassive face. Li Dong pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of Huo Yuheng, breathless. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she took Li You's hand and apologized. “I'm sorry. He mistook you for someone else.” Then she crouched to comfort Li You. “He's not your daddy, just someone who looks like him.” Huo Yuheng glanced at her, said nothing, and turned to leave. As if they had never known each other, as if all that unrestrained passion between them had never happened. 2. At the kindergarten parent-child sports day, little Li You took Huo Yuheng by the hand and solemnly introduced him to his best friend. “This is my third dad. He can do fifty push-ups with Mom on his back!” His friend gasped. Then, puzzled, he asked, “Why is he your third dad?” “Because my real dad and my second dad weren't available, so I brought my third dad!” His friend nodded admiringly. “You're amazing. You have three dads!” Then he turned to Li Dong. “You're amazing too, Auntie!” At last, he sighed. “I only have one dad.” “My mom's the best!” Li You said proudly, puffing out his chest. He patted his friend's shoulder to comfort him. “Having one dad is great, too!” He didn't need to learn, at such a young age, how to keep his affections evenly divided. Nearby, Huo Yuheng looked down at the marks on the side of Li Dong's neck that she hadn't covered up. Leaning close to her ear, he asked, “Do those other two know you slept in my room last night?” Raising a child, getting back together after a breakup Wildlife conservationist / rehabilitation specialist × research institute big shot Theme: Youth and growth