One summer in 2010, aboard a train from Yuncheng to Shencheng, Yu Tian noticed a girl quietly reading in a corner.
She had delicate features and shoulder-length hair, and wore a light-green cotton dress. Every so often, she'd furrow her brow in thought, then smile with her lips pressed together.
Halfway through the journey, her companions chattered on and on. She barely said a word.
Yu Tian pointed to the book by the window, San Mao's Stories of the Sahara, and asked, "Could I borrow it?"
The girl gave a slight nod without saying much.
As the long, thirty-six-hour journey drew to a close, Yu Tian returned the book before getting off and asked timidly, "Could I have your QQ number?"
The companions sitting beside the girl cheered and laughed at Yu Tian. "She has a boyfriend!"
Yu Tian gazed at the girl with stubborn determination, patiently waiting for her answer.
The girl pressed her lips together, lowered her head, took the note Yu Tian offered, and slowly wrote down a string of numbers.
That was where the story began, amid the summer cicadas' ringing song, their echoes lingering in the air. The girl's name was Xia He, and at the time she was a junior at Yuncheng University.
She had no idea that over the next ten years, her life would become closely intertwined with that boy she'd met by chance...
*Blurb written on 2025.05.26 and archived.
Reading Guide:
- A slow-burn, slice-of-life story that takes its time.
- Campus first, then city life; mutual secret crushes.
- Both leads have their own strengths and flaws. Neither is perfect.
Theme: Love can heal the heart
