Chapter 1: A Weekend Stroll and Unexpected Confessions

It was autumn of 2013.

In Taishan City.

Today marked the weekend, a particularly cherished one, as Taishan High School observed its monthly ‘big week,’ a rare period free from supplementary classes. Numerous students had already made plans to venture out, eager to savor this delightful reprieve.

Lin Chu and Zhong Jing were among those enjoying the break.

However, Zhong Jing found herself reluctantly pulled from her home by Lin Chu’s insistent persuasion.

Having initially intended to spend her day playing League of Legends, Zhong Jing had barely logged into her account when Lin Chu arrived at her doorstep. Faced with a barrage of relentless coaxing, Zhong Jing eventually capitulated, agreeing to accompany her friend for an outing.

Both girls wore identical shirt jackets, chosen by Lin Chu just two days prior, as they made their way toward Taishan Commercial Street.

“Here, warm bubble tea!”

Having purchased a cup from the milk tea shop, Lin Chu jogged over to Zhong Jing, extending the drink. “Consider it a reward for joining me today.”

“It won’t taste good…”

“But you haven’t even tried it yet.”

“I’ve had it before.”

“What if this time it’s delicious?”

Zhong Jing accepted the bubble tea, inserted the straw, and took a single sip.

“Cola is better.”

“Oh, really now?”

Zhong Jing nudged the bubble tea into Lin Chu’s embrace. Lin Chu took it, then sampled a sip herself.

“You’re right, it’s rather unremarkable…” Lin Chu returned the drink to Zhong Jing. “Well, even if it’s not particularly tasty, it’ll certainly keep your hands warm.”

Lin Chu offered Zhong Jing a bright smile, and together they continued their stroll past the ginkgo trees lining Taishan Commercial Street.

“These ginkgo trees truly are the most beautiful sight on this commercial street.”

Golden ginkgo leaves drifted gracefully down, one landing softly on Zhong Jing’s shoulder.

Pausing for a moment, Zhong Jing pulled out her phone and casually snapped a picture of the tree.

“You’ve captured quite a lovely scene,” Lin Chu remarked, leaning closer to Zhong Jing. “You certainly couldn’t get a shot like this staying at home, could you?”

“……”

Zhong Jing offered no reply, merely slipping her phone back into her pocket and resuming her walk.

“Where are we headed?”

“Nowhere in particular, just planning to wander around,” Lin Chu said, gently plucking the ginkgo leaf from Zhong Jing’s shoulder. “There’s a certain charm to that, don’t you think?”

“…Alright.”

“Oh! It looks like a newly opened jewelry store, Jingjing, let’s go take a look!”

Lin Chu eagerly grabbed Zhong Jing’s hand, practically pulling her into the small jewelry shop.

Despite its modest size, the store boasted exquisite decor and a vast array of merchandise, a veritable feast for the eyes.

Zhong Jing knew Lin Chu had a particular fondness for these charming, well-decorated little shops brimming with goods; whenever they encountered one, even if it was just a fruit stand, Lin Chu would invariably drag her inside.

“Jingjing, look.”

Lin Chu took a pair of round-rimmed, non-prescription glasses from the counter and tried them on.

“Do they look good?”

“They’re alright.”

“Hey—Jingjing, why don’t you pick a pair for me?”

“The pair you’re currently wearing is already the most suitable one for you here.”

“Oh, so my eye for picking things isn’t so bad after all?”

Lin Chu returned the glasses to the counter, then wandered around the shop a few more times.

“Jingjing, are you going to buy any earrings?”

“No.”

“Oh, right, you don’t have your ears pierced… Let me see if they have any clip-ons then…”

“Why don’t you just ask the owner?”

“I prefer to find things myself.” Lin Chu diligently searched the shelves and counters several times. “None, it seems…”

“Then let’s go.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Stepping out of the small shop, the two girls rejoined the pedestrian walkway of the commercial street.

“How about… I take you to get your ears pierced?”

Zhong Jing shook her head.

“Are you afraid of the pain?”

Zhong Jing’s expression remained unchanged, and she offered no verbal response.

“Don’t worry, it only hurts for a second, just like getting a shot.”

“No.” Zhong Jing took a sip of her bubble tea. “I don’t need pierced ears.”

“They would make you look much more refined…”

“I don’t need to be that refined.”

“Hmm—I’m not sure whether to call you a pragmatist or simply unconcerned with trivialities.”

“Neither,” Zhong Jing stated. “I find it troublesome.”

“It’s not that much trouble, though…”

The two walked all the way into the Taishan Commercial Center, located at the far end of the commercial street.

Inside, the center teemed with people, about half of whom appeared to be students.

“Oh? Is that Xiao Fan?”

Lin Chu seemed to spot an acquaintance. “Jingjing, look, it’s the girl from the class next door.”

“…I don’t know her.”

“She’s usually so serious about her studies; I never would have imagined she had a boyfriend…”

“……What about your boyfriend?” Zhong Jing glanced at Lin Chu. “Why didn’t you go out with him?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, we broke up a couple of days ago.”

“…It hasn’t even been a week…”

“Well, if it’s not a good fit, you should definitely end it quickly.”

“Then why did you get together in the first place?”

“He confessed to me, but I didn’t know him very well, so I just said yes first to see what kind of person he truly was,” Lin Chu explained, her tone remaining light and breezy. “I spent three days observing him, decided it wasn’t a great match, and then we just broke up.”

“……I can’t understand that.”

“Haha, why can’t you suddenly understand?” Lin Chu chuckled. “Anyway, he wasn’t particularly fond of me either; yesterday he already rallied and started pursuing a girl from the class next door.”

“……”

“Speaking of which, Jingjing, don’t you plan on getting a boyfriend?”

Lin Chu led Zhong Jing into a clothing store, where they browsed slowly, casually weaving through racks of dresses and skirts.

“I have no such intention.”

“Are you planning to be a perpetual bachelorette?”

“……”

“Then later, if we go to different universities or start working, and I’m not by your side, won’t you be terribly lonely?”

“…It’s not as if we’ll lose contact just because we go to college or enter society.”

“But you’ll still feel lonely sometimes, won’t you?” Lin Chu turned back with a smile. “And with your unconcerned nature, if you don’t have someone thoughtful by your side, I can’t imagine how you’d manage.”

“……”

“It’s fine if you don’t look now, but you should at least find one when you go to university, right?”

“…We’ll see when the time comes.”

“It feels like your ‘we’ll see when the time comes’ essentially means ‘let fate decide,’ you know.”

“Then let fate decide.”

Leaving the store, the two ascended to the second floor.

There, they found a dessert shop they frequently visited.

As always, the dessert shop glowed with a warm, orange light, and the girls settled at a small table inside.

“Two tiramisus, please.”

“Right away.”

Having ordered their desserts, Lin Chu redirected her gaze to Zhong Jing, who was sipping her bubble tea with an impassive expression.

“Jingjing, are you a Buddhist?”

“No.”

“Then why ‘let fate decide’?”

“Then I won’t look.”

“Now that sounds more like your true self.”

“Mm.”

“Jingjing, you’re not… gay, are you?” Lin Chu asked, propping her chin on her hand with a grin. “In that case, would you consider me? I’m open to both men and women, you know.”

“……”

Observing a subtle shift in Zhong Jing’s expression—a change so slight it might have been missed by anyone but Lin Chu—she began to laugh even more heartily.

“Hahaha, I’m just kidding, you know.”

“……”

“Still, if you were to, say, gender-bend, Jingjing, and become a cool, long-haired handsome guy, I might actually be genuinely interested, you know.”

“…Dream about it tonight.”

“Hey—speaking of which, Jingjing, do you have any older or younger brothers?”

“…I have a younger brother.”

“Oh? If Jingjing is so pretty, your brother must be handsome too, right?” Lin Chu chuckled. “Could you show me a picture?”

“He’s an elementary school student…”

“Oh, I see.”

As they chatted and laughed, their tiramisus arrived.

Lin Chu used a small plastic knife to cut a tiny piece for Zhong Jing, then offered it to her mouth on a fork.

“If I can’t find a boyfriend in the future, I might just set my sights on your little brother, you know.”

Zhong Jing accepted the tiramisu Lin Chu offered, eating it in a single bite.

“Keep dreaming.”

“Hahahahaha…”

****