I've had a secret crush on my childhood sweetheart for eleven years now.
Every time I saw his cold, indifferent way of rejecting others, the confession I was about to make would be cruelly snuffed out.
"Are you going to go for it or not? Make a move or not? If you hesitate any longer, your childhood sweetheart will be snatched up by someone else."
My best friend looked at me, scolding me for not trying harder, while I just silently drank my water, not saying a word.
I liked Trần Thiệu because I was tempted by his good looks.
When I was little, the first time I saw him, he was playing with water on the balcony in front of his house.
The sun shone on his face.
I saw his annoyed and reluctant smile.
Water fell on my skin, and then melted into my heart.
For the past ten years, because I had never seen anyone so beautiful, I liked him.
Of course, he was thoroughly beaten that day. I lived opposite Trần Thiệu's house, so I could hear his shouts.
Trần Thiệu's defiant and headstrong nature was very well-known among us kids. Therefore, even though he was very handsome, many girls didn't like him.
But I was different. I stubbornly continued to like him for eleven whole years.
Actually, I was brave once.
When I was seventeen, I wrote a love letter.
After class, I lingered at Trần Thiệu's seat for a long time, but just as I was about to take out the letter, a voice interrupted me.
"What are you doing?"
It was Trần Thiệu.
I jumped in fright: "Weren't you playing basketball?"
He didn't notice what I was about to do, but his face was full of confusion.
"I came back to change my shoes."
"What are you sneaking around my desk for? Could it be..."
He moved closer to me. I took a few steps back, so tense my palms were slick with sweat.
"Do you want to steal my Châu Kiệt Luân album? This is a discontinued edition, it's no longer on the market."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"I saw a bug on your desk, so I wanted to help you get rid of it."
Trần Thiệu snorted, then swaggered over and sat down.
"Next time you lie, please don't blush."
I scrambled away.
Later, I heard that he didn't like love letters. He said writing letters was so old-fashioned, so I put that letter in my drawer, locked away forever.
My roommate wanted to drag me to a matchmaking party this weekend, but I had already refused.
Before, I had written a novel about unrequited love for a childhood sweetheart and declared I would confess when I reached one hundred thousand words. Now my readers are urging me to release new chapters quickly, and I really don't have time.
"Oh, come on~ Let's go see some handsome guys! I heard the hot boy Trần Thiệu is going too!"
My roommate kept shaking my arm. I couldn't stand it, so I agreed.
Absolutely not because of Trần Thiệu, mind you!
Because I write novels, I usually stay in the dorm on weekends. Attending gatherings with many people like this makes me feel uneasy all over.
I huddled, tucked myself into a corner, sipped the drink in my hand, and observed my surroundings.
"What are you looking for?" Hearing a familiar voice ring out beside my ear, I suddenly jumped.
I don't know when, but Trần Thiệu had appeared beside me.
He propped himself up slightly, leaning towards me.
I ignored the tingling sensation in my ear, trying to act calm, I replied:
"Looking for handsome guys."
"Right here."
I couldn't help but tilt my head to look at him. He had a smirk on his face, his eyes burning hot.
Too close.
I couldn't stand it, so I shifted away.
"Don't be so full of yourself."
He chuckled softly, putting his hands behind his head, in a very relaxed posture.
"My good looks are quite famous, you know."
"That's just what *they* say," I couldn't help but retort.
He suddenly sat up straight and stared at me.
"What about you?"
The darkness obscured his face, making it impossible for me to discern his expression at that moment.
I didn't know if I was imagining things, but his tone seemed tense, reminding me of a moment from the past.
He leaned down to look at me and said in a teasing tone, "Kiều Giai, you don't like me, do you?"
2
In the end, I still didn't answer Trần Thiệu's question.
In the middle of it, some juniors came looking for me, but before I could even open my mouth, Trần Thiệu had already talked them out of it and pulled me away.
"Are you really insisting on getting her contact info?"
"Did you see the blank look in her eyes? She's still a child, how could you even think of doing that to her?"
"Who am I? I'm her older brother. Is that clear enough?"
Finally, I couldn't hold back anymore.
"Trần Thiệu, what's gotten into you?"
"Every time I see a guy, I just lose it."
The young man nonchalantly swirled the wine in his glass.
"Are you coming or not? You're getting drunk."
My mind felt sluggish; it took me a few seconds to realize the mockery in his words.
"Who are you calling drunk? I could drink all night!"
My voice, bristling with indignation from embarrassment, was like a small porcupine puffing up its quills.
He looked at me and laughed aloud.
"You little liar, your face is all red, yet you're still talking big."
I immediately touched my face, groaning inwardly.
Why does my face always turn bright red every time I lie?
In the end, I had no choice but to gloomily follow him back.
We stood outside the door, waiting for a car. The summer night wind wasn't cold at all; on the contrary, it was rather cool.
I looked at Trần Thiệu's wind-blown, messy hair, my thoughts drifting further and further away.