Ji Shu had a first love in her youth.
He was so outstanding that everyone at school knew his name.
He was handsome, got good grades, excelled at sports, and was polite. Every girl agreed he was their heartthrob.
Ji Shu sat beside him for a while and learned about the rebellious side hidden beneath his well-behaved facade.
She followed in the boy's footsteps, going from average grades to the top five in her year, from high school to a prestigious university.
He said they would go to the capital together,
but after the college entrance exams, he went abroad.
The girl's secret crush shattered.
A first love is someone you can only admire from afar.
She thought he had never liked her, that it had all been one-sided from beginning to end.
But after returning to her hometown, she found the secret he had hidden in the book he had once given her.
Only when Ji Shu had grown into an ordinary adult did she understand the taste of love that had passed its expiration date.
A writing exercise, probably a short story.
Theme: After struggling with myself for so long, I choose to be myself.
