I'll Give You Half

[Mutual First Love] [A Story About Two Orphans]

We always think that when tragedy strikes, one of the people involved must have done something wrong.

But more often than not, the world is absurd beyond belief.

We love each other deeply every moment, and we hurt each other every moment, too.

You did nothing wrong. Neither did I. Neither of us did anything wrong.

And yet somehow, it still went wrong.

Where did it go wrong? How did it all go wrong?

-

He Jianxing shared half his birthday cake with He Cheng, and tied him to his side for the rest of his life.

From the orphanage to a rented room, then to an apartment building, and finally to a condo in the city center.

Neither of them could figure out when they had stopped understanding each other so well, or how they had ended up where they were.

They knew perfectly well that the other loved them deeply, and yet neither of them was happy.

Why?

Why, exactly?

He Cheng: Love means giving willingly. Love means it would still be worth it even if you died. Love is strength, not pressure.

He Jianxing: But I can't let you go back to living without money. Life without money is too terrifying.

-

I came up with this story one night while looking for a little excitement. I nearly cried my eyes out while outlining it.

A short story, about 40,000 words. The full text is free.

Content warning: Bad ending!

Well... I also wanted to practice writing in a sparse, understated style.

Theme: There are far too many questions in this world with no answers.