"My name is Yu Xuan. Yu as in 'the rest of your life,' Xuan as in 'clamor.'"
My desk mate behind me is a complete nutcase. No, wait... Is there anyone in this class who's normal?
Two best friends who keep flirting with each other, a gym rep who's a total simp, and an English class rep who used to have an unrequited crush on me in middle school and now gives me a hard time!
Bai Ran was about to break, when Yu Xuan suddenly came running over, bringing with him a string of autumn sunlight, bright and sparkling. His heart filled with bubbles.
It seemed like Yu Xuan had no worries at all. The boy propped his chin on his hand. If I could have him, would all my pain disappear too?
Fine. I want him.
The banyan branches swayed gently. They were young then.
Yu Xuan thought he could keep fooling around like this forever with his very best friend. Then winter arrived. The confession stayed hidden in summer, drowned out by the cicadas. Bai Ran broke his promise. For a whole month, Yu Xuan watched his hopes shatter.
He thought he'd been mistaken. Bai Ran wasn't like him, wasn't like that bold, spirited boy.
His father's death cast a shadow over the world. He couldn't see the sun. He never would again.
The boy suddenly braced himself and hugged him.
"I like you."
Damn it, why can I feel a little warmth?
For ten years, Bai Ran's mother had been so busy trying to make ends meet that she seemed to forget what she was supposed to do as his mother. He was swept away by the wind blowing through the alley.
During that time, he went up to the rooftop. What a lovely view, but in the night, he couldn't make out any light. Yu Xuan rushed toward him, trying to make him stay. Could he keep him there? If he could, then why hadn't he been able to keep his father there that year?
Yu Xuan wasn't a black crow, and Bai Ran wasn't a white dove. But both of them had been hurt. God brought them together, yet wouldn't give them a happy journey.
"Stay with me and keep going, always."
"Okay."
How could a white dove ever fall in love with a black crow?
But Bai Ran would definitely fall in love with Yu Xuan.
It doesn't hurt anymore.
It will never hurt again.
Theme: Cracks in the heart can blossom. Look ahead, where the branches are thick with flowers.
