Evanescent Dreams

12. The season where the wind blows and flowers wither

The first day Ye Zhen transferred to X High, he was asked to stand up and introduce himself. It was a usual routine for Ye Zhen, who had transferred for the sixth time.

"Hey, I'm Ye Zhen," his spiritless eyes drifted around the classroom.

The world in his eyes was always dull and monotonous one. After the series of events throughout his childhood, his disappointment towards his situation had extended to a disappointment, a loss of hope, towards the whole world.

Dazzling...

A pair of bright almond eyes that stood out amongst the other classmates caught his eye.

It's her.

He had never forgotten about Lin Xingren. She was that little girl that used her naiveness to fuel herself with passion, liveliness, and tenacity. She was the author of the Kungfu masterpiece, the persisting light that guided him across his dark days.

Have you found back your buddy?  Have you forgiven yourself? Do you still remember me? 

Lin Xingren was not paying attention to him. She was looking out the windows, contemplating the swaying willow trees, the fluttering moths, and the puffs of clouds.

Her aura was different from that of seven years ago. She seemed to be wandering in a parallel world...willingly lost in it but still yearning to come back.

He didn't ask her to help him find his sister because there was only her. He asked because it was her.

---

"So, you're a college student studying Biology in Chicago,"  he teased and sat down besides her. 

She inched away and formally placed her hands on her lap. 

Shouldn't have added an author's biography. Should have listened to the gut feeling when I wrote it. What was I thinking about?  

Wait...but how did he know? The biography didn't say anything about me...

"New post," he grinned. 

Lin Xingren peered at his phone screen. Her eyes widened. He was scrolling through her Little Red account. 

It was an account that nobody in school knew about, not even Chen Siyun. Every post leaked something about her, something from the young devil inside her cage, she had tried so hard to hide from everyone.

What should I do? Should I kill him? It's dark, there's no one around. The whole situation is optimal, except I don't have a knife. Should I strangle him? As long as he doesn't use his arms, I should be stronger than him, right? Does my self-taught Kungfu still work?

She reached towards Ye Zhen's phone in a flash, but recoiled the second her chubby hands unintentionally touched his. 

Her eyes danced.

 Shoot! Why am I suddenly so self-conscious? But where would I bury him? 

He chuckled faintly, "kay, I'll stop."

"Are you feeling better from your cold?" Lin Xingren calmed down and switched the subject.

"Yeah, " he took out his water bottle from the bag beneath him, "I know too well how to recover by myself."

She looked towards him and saw his eyes turning wistful as he sipped some warm water. 

"This place hasn't changed much since then," he scanned the playground. 

Just like seven years ago, it was a desolated place. A place that brought nostalgia to those who have temporarily, but never permanently, forgotten about it.