Contents
Chapter One: High School Encounter..................................................................................3
Chapter Two: Love Blossoms..............................................................................................5
Chapter Three: College Endeavors.....................................................................................7
Chapter Four: Post-Graduation Struggles..........................................................................10
Chapter Five: Unexpected Shift.........................................................................................12
Chapter Six: Reflecting on the Journey..............................................................................15
Chapter Seven: True Love Affirmed...................................................................................18
Reference...........................................................................................................................24
True Love---From Nothing to All
Chapter One: High School Encounter
The morning bell at Mingyang High School cut through the crisp autumn air, scattering the last of the students lingering in the hallway to rush to their classrooms. In Class 11-3, Lin Yu ran to his seat by the window, his math textbook had already been opened to the chapter on quadratic functions that marked with yellow highlights and scribbled notes from the night before. He had stayed up until midnight dealing with practice problems, his desk cluttered with crumpled scratch paper, but the formula for finding the vertex still felt like a foreign language.
He ran a hand through his messy black hair, letting out a quiet sigh as he stared at the equation on the page:\ y＝ax²+bx²+cx\. Just as he was about to reach for his calculator, a soft shadow fell over his desk.
“Excuse me, Is this seat taken?”
Lin Yu looked up, and his breath seemed to be seized for a second. Standing beside him was a girl with a tidy ponytail hair tied back with a white scrunchie, a stack of English notebooks lay on her hands. Her eyes were bright, like sunlight on a sunny day, and there was a faint smudge of pencil lead on her left cheek. LinYu guessed that she must have struggled for something with the pen as her weapon. She was wearing the school’s standard white-blue uniform, and her collar was neatly buttoned, her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing a silver bracelet with a cartoon figure on it.
“N-no,” Lin Yu stammered, quickly grabbing his bag off the empty chair and tucking it into his desk. “I’m Lin Yu, by the way.” “Su Xiao,” she said, setting her notebooks down gently. As she did, a small flashcard fluttered out from the English book that was covered in handwritten English vocabulary words, each with a tiny star next to the ones she’d memorized. “Sorry about that,” she laughed, bending to pick it up. The sound was light, like wind rustling through leaves.
Lin Yu whispered at the flashcard. “Mrs. Wang’s quiz on Unit 5? I’ve been memorizing ‘ambiguous’ for an hour and still mix it up with ‘ambivalent.’” Su Xiao’s face lit up. “Me too! So I managed to get an easy method to distinguish them.” She pointed to a tiny smudge next to “ambiguous”: a confused-looking stick figure holding two different books. “Ambiguous is when something is unclear. Ambivalent is when you have two opposite feelings. The picture helps me remember.”
Lin Yu leaned in to look, and he caught a smile of rose fragrance and her hair smelled like the flowers his grandmother grew in her garden. “That’s genius,” he said. “I just write the words over and over, but I always forget the next morning.”
“You are skilled in Math, right?” Su Xiao asked, nodding at his open textbook. “I saw you helping Li Jia with equation last week. I wish I could master it just as you do”
Lin Yu felt his ears warm. “It’s not that hard if you get the key of it. Amd I am not talented. Instead, I stay up late practicing for a long time and turn it into my habit.” He looked at the half-finished problem in the draft paper. “This problem has been driving me crazy, though. It’s about a rectangular garden to find the length and width based on the area. I always list the equation wrong.”
Su Xiao pulled out a pencil and leaned over the desk, her shoulder barely brushing his. “Let me see. Oh, you forgot to subtract the path width from both sides! The problem says the path is 1 meter wide, so the length of the garden itself is (x - 2), not x. Here—” She wrote a few lines on the paper, her handwriting neat and clear…
Lin Yu stared at the lines, and suddenly, an inspiration hit him, “Oh! I didn’t realize the path is on both sides. That’s why I was getting the wrong answer.” Su Xiao smiled, putting her pencil down. “Sometimes you just need a tiny enlightenment. But honestly, I am not well in math and the concept of this problem just like a flash rushing into my mind in an imperceptible way. But I am certainly that I can do the best in my English. Therefore, I can help you with English vocabulary if you want. In turn, can you assist me with my Math?”
The second bell rang, and Mrs. Wang walked in, carrying a pile of worksheets. Su Xiao quickly tucked her flashcard back into her notebook, but Lin Yu was already grinning. “Deal,” he whispered.
That afternoon, after class, they met in the school library. The library was quiet, with tall shelves filled with books that smelled like old paper. They sat at a table by the window, sunlight beaming and casting squares on the desk. Su Xiao pulled out her flashcards, and Lin Yu grabbed his math workbook. For an hour, they quizzed each other: Su Xiao would say an English word, and Lin Yu would define it; Lin Yu would write a math problem, and Su Xiao would solve it. When Su Xiao finally got the right answer of a quadratic function, she was so happy that could not help dancing in her chair, and Lin Yu laughed so hard that the librarian warned them.
As they packed up their things, the sun was setting, painting the sky red and orange. They walked out of the library together like two pages softened by the sunset, gently closed, and slowly walking out of the palace of knowledge to become a line of tender footnotes in the twilight. .
“Will we keep meeting here tomorrow?” Su Xiao asked, stopping at the school gate. “I have much confusion at my physics. And you know, Mr. Zhang’s test is next week, and I am going to die if I can not pass it.”
Lin Yu nodded eagerly. “Do not worry. I will help you certainly. And I will bring some biscuits that are baked by my mother. Without exaggeration, they are the best biscuits I’ve ever enjoyed.” Su Xiao smiled, her eyes twinkling as stars. “I’ll be here at 7:30. Don’t be late!”
She turned and walked down the street, her ponytail flipped back and forth as she walked. Lin Yu watched her until she turned into a corner, then pulled out his math textbook. He flipped to the problem she had helped him with that morning, feeling warm and relaxed, a feeling that had’t appeared for a long time because of the academic stress.
Maybe high school was not just about exams and grades, he thought. Maybe it was about finding someone who was like-minded with you.
Chapter Two: Love Blossoms
Three months later, Lin Yu and Su Xiao’s library mornings had become a ritual. Every day at 7:30 a.m., Lin Yu would arrive with two portions of breakfast, one for himself, while another for SuXiao. Su Xiao would be already sitting at their table, her physics notes spread out as if waiting LinYu to give them a check, a rose tea bag steeping in her vacuum cup. They would work together until 8:45, then rush to class, their shoes clicking on the library’s marble floors consistently.
Lin Yu looked forward to those mornings more than anything. To be honest, he was eager to stay with SuXiao nearly all the time. He loved the way Su Xiao bit her lip when she was concentrating on a physics or math problem, the way she hummed softly to herself when she read poetry, the way she would leave little sticky notes in his English workbook: “Great job!” or “Almost there!” He had started keeping those sticky notes in a box under his bed, each one a tiny reminder of her.
He also loved the way she talked about her dreams. She wanted to go to Peking University to study literature, she had told him one morning, her voice soft but determined. She wanted to edit books, to help authors tell their stories. “I love how a good book can make you feel less alone and fatigued,” she’d said, staring out the library window at the cherry blossom trees. “Like the author is talking to you and enlightening you directly.”
Lin Yu wanted to go to Qinghua University to study engineering. He loved building things and he had built a radio from a broken scratch when he was fifteen, and he had spent hours mending his dad’s old bicycle. “I want to design effective and low-cost machines that help people,” he’d told her. “Like robots that help the elderly, or solar panels that are cheaper for poor families.”
They were different, he thought. She loved words, he loved numbers but they fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle.
He had known he was falling for her since the day she had stayed after school to help him study for an English monthly test. He had failed the practice exam, and he had been so upset that he had hidden in the library with his head in his hands. Su Xiao had found him there, and instead of teasing him, she sat down and helped him go over every problem. “You’re smart, Lin Yu,” she’d said, squeezing his hand. “Don’t lose heart. You just need to take your time.”
That day, he wanted to tell her how he felt , “I like you, more than a friend.” But he had been too scared. What if she didn’t feel the same? What if he ruined everything especially of their friendship?
The opportunity came on a rainy Saturday in April. They had been studying in the library for hours, going over past college entrance exams. By the time they packed up, the sky suddenly darkened, it was pouring, rain beating against the windows, thunder rumbling in the distance.
Lin Yu had an umbrella, but it was small, fitting himself to be totally wrapped. “I’ll walk you home,” he said, opening it and holding it over her head.
Su Xiao hesitated. “Are you sure? My house is 20 minutes away and is far away from your home. You’ll get soaked and worn out when you get home .”
“I don’t mind,” Lin Yu said. And he did it.
They walked side by side, the umbrella tilted toward Su Xiao so that most of Lin Yu’s shoulder was exposed to the rain. The street was quiet and most people were inside, taking shelter from the rain, and the only sounds were the rain, the thunder, and the sound of shoes scraping against rainwater. Su Xiao’s hair was slightly damp, and her cheeks were pale from the cold.
“Lin Yu,” she said suddenly, her voice soft but shaky. “Do you ever think about what it would be like if we went to the same university?”
Lin Yu’s heart pounded. “All the time,” he said. “I wish we could. But Qinghua’s engineering program is the best, and Peking’s literature program…, I mean, you know that.”
“I know,” Su Xiao said, looking down at her shoes. “But Peking is an hour away from Qinghua by subway. What if we don't have time to see each other? What if we drift apart?”
Lin Yu stopped walking. He turned to face her, the umbrella still held over her head. Raindrops dripped from the edge of the umbrella onto his wrist, but he didn’t feel cold. “ You mean you are afraid of our apartment because of you want to stay with me? Then what if we apply to Nanjing University?” he said. “They have a great engineering program, and their literature department is top-tier too. It’s closer to both our homes, and we could study together, just like we do now.”
Su Xiao’s eyes widened. “You will do that? Give up Qinghua for me?”
Lin Yu shook his head. “It’s not giving up. It’s choosing what matters more. And you matter more, Su Xiao.”
For a moment, Su Xiao did not say anything. She just stared at him, her eyes shining. Then she smiled that was the brightest smile Lin Yu had ever seen and threw her arms around his neck. Surprisedly, he hugged her back instantly, careful not to get her any more wet than she already was. Her hair smelled like rose, even in the rain, and her shoulders were warm under his hands.
When she pulled away, her cheeks were turning into pink. “I like you, Lin Yu,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “A lot.”
Lin Yu felt like his heart was going to burst. “I like you too, Su Xiao. More than a friend, more than anything.”
He leaned down and kissed her, softly at first, then a little harder while the rain poured around them and the thunder rumbled. It was his first kiss, and it tasted as sweet as rose tea.
When they pulled apart, Su Xiao laughed, wiping a raindrop from her cheek. “Let’s make a pact,” she said. “We must study harder, together. We’ll get into Nanjing University, and we’ll keep studying-forever.”
Lin Yu held out his hand. “Pact. No matter what happens, I will be there with you-forever.”
Su Xiao held her hand with his, her fingers warm against his. “No matter what.”
They walked the rest of the way to her house, talking about their study plan—waking up at 6 a.m. to review notes, taking practice tests every Sunday, helping each other with weak subjects. When they reached her home’s front door, Su Xiao turned to him.
“Thank you for walking me home,” she said. “And… for liking me.”
“It is my pleasure. Thank you for liking me back,” Lin Yu said.
She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then rushed into her home, waving from the window. Lin Yu stood there for a minute, touching his cheek, a huge smile appearing on his face. The rain was still pouring, but he didn’t feel cold. He felt warm—like his heart was on fire.
He walked home, humming to himself, already thinking about the next day’s library session. For the first time, the future didn’t seem confusing. It seemed like an adventure othat he was excited to take with Su Xiao.
Chapter Three: College Endeavors
Four years later, on a sunny September morning, Lin Yu and Su Xiao stood in front of the gate of Nanjing University with their acceptance letters clutched in their hands. The gate was grand and red pillars, golden carvings, a huge sign that read “Nanjing University” in bold characters and students bustled around them, laughing and carrying boxes into the dormitories.
They looked at each other, eyes teaty. “We did it,” Su Xiao said, her voice filled with awe. She turned to Lin Yu, her eyes shining, and squeezed his hand. “We actually did it.vWa can stay with each other forever.”
Lin Yu pulled her into a hug, making a kiss on her forehead. “I told you we would. Remember that rainy day in April? It is our commitment that works.”
Su Xiao laughed. “You kept reminding me every time I wanted to give up during the college entrance exam. That is important for me to struggle through the tough times. Remember when I cried because I couldn’t work out homogeneous math questions? You stayed up with me all night, making flashcards and instructions. It is a blessing to have you.”
Lin Yu grinned. “Someone had to keep you motivated. And you kept me motivated too. Did you remember when I failed that physics test and wanted to quit? You brought me a hamburger and said, ‘You’re smarter than this and anyone actually.’”
Their first few weeks of college were a crazy. They moved into their dormitories. Lin Yu in Building 3, the engineering dorm, and Su Xiao in Building 7, the literature dorm. Though they lived distantly, they made appointments every day. They explored the campus: the old library with its wooden shelves and leather chairs, the lakes that were full of grass and clear water, the cafeteria that served the best tasty meals they’d ever tasted among school cafeteria.
But college was not just fun, it was also hard. Lin Yu’s engineering classes were intense: calculus, physics, computer science, each with hours of homework and difficult exams. He must spend hours in the engineering lab to make himself master it. And by the time he got back to his dorm, he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.
Su Xiao’s literature classes were just as challenging. She had to read hundreds of pages of novels and poems every week and write essays that required hours of research. She would stay up late in the library with Lin Yu most of her free time, her laptop open, a stack of books beside her, and Lin Yu would take her hot milk when he went to the library to accompany her, knowing she would forget to eat if he didn’t remind her.
“We need to find a balance between our heavy study and life,” Su Xiao said one night, as they sat in the library. She had been working on a paper about Charlotte Brontë for hours, and her eyes were red from staring at the screen. “We can’t just study all the time but we also can’t skip homework to hang out. Oh my god, I am so exhausted.”
Lin Yu nodded, closing his physics textbook. “You’re right. What if we make a schedule on weekdays and weekends? We can work on class, homework, and an hour of entertainment every night for dinner, or a walk around the lake on weekdays. On weekends, we can spare one morning of studying, then free ourselves to do whatever we want on afternoons.”
Su Xiao smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. “That sounds perfect. And maybe we can join a club? I saw a poster for the literature cluband they have book discussions every Friday. And you could join the engineering club which can do projects and competitions.”
Lin Yu hesitated. “Clubs take time. What if it’s too much? Then we won’t have much time together.”
“Give it a try,” Su Xiao said. “We can always quit if it’s overwhelming. But it might be fun to meet new people and learn new things.”
Lin Yu agreed, and the next week, they signed up for their clubs. Su Xiao loved the literature club. She made friends with other students who loved books as much as her, and she even took competition about Pride and Prejudice that got first place. “Everyone said I had a good talent of understanding and learning literature,” she told Lin Yu that night, her face glowing.
At the same time, Lin Yu was surprised by how much he enjoyed the engineering club. They were working on a project to build a small robot that could pick up trash, and he loved collaborating with other students. What was more appealing was that everyone of the club would not push the other members to do thing that they were not skilled in, there was no pressure. Every member exerted themselves to what they were interested in. “We tested the robot today, and it picked up three plastic bottles!” he told Su Xiao over dinner, his voice excited.
Everything seemed perfect.
But as the semester went on, money became a problem. Lin Yu’s parents were factory workers, and they only sent him 1,000 yuan every month because they couldn’t raise much money after paying highly tuition fees. But the living expense was not enough for LinYu to offer the best things to SuXiao. Su Xiao’s parents were teachers, and they sent her the 1,500 yuan per month which was enough for her living instead of extra expenditure such as appointment and fancy meals with LinYu. Therefore, they had been sharing meals to save money, but even that wasn’t enough because textbooks were expensive, dorm fees were due, and they needed to buy winter clothes soon.
“I want to get a part-time job to earn money for ourselves,” Lin Yu said one night, as They ate instant noodles in the hotel. The heater was broken, and the room was cold, so the price of the room is lower. They had to huddle under a blanket to sustain the heat within their body. “The bookstore you work at, are they hiring?”
Su Xiao shook her head. “They only have one part-time position, and I have it. But I saw a poster for a tutoring job for helping high school students with math and physics which are the subjects you are extremely good at. The pay is 80 yuan an hour, and the hours are flexible.”
Lin Yu’s eyes lit up. “Really? Where?”
“At the education center on Main Street,” Su Xiao said. “I can help you fill out the application tomorrow if you make up your mind to take it.”
Expectedly, Lin Yu got the job a week later. He tutored two high school students every weekday evening, one in math, one in physics, and another two on weekends. The job was tiring , and after a full day of classes and homework, he had to walk 20 minutes to the education center, teach for two hours, then walk back to dormitory, but it was worth it. He made 1,280 yuan a week, enough to cover his expenses and even save a little to take Su Xiao out to fancy dinner once a month.
Su Xiao continued working at the bookstore, and they would meet there after Lin Yu’s tutoring classes. Whenever she saw him, she would smile and set the book she was reading down. They would walk back to campus together, talking about their daily study and work. Lin Yu would tell her about his students, and Su Xiao would tell him about the books she’d read that day. The life was tranquil and cozy.
One night, as they walked past the lake, the moon was bright, and the water glitered like silver. Su Xiao stopped, turning to Lin Yu. She was wearing a pink sweatsgirt, her hair was tied back with a white scrunchie.
“You know, even though it’s hard, I’m happy,” she said, her voice soft. “Because we’re doing it together.”
Lin Yu pulled her close, kissing her softly. “Me too. This is exactly what we dreamed of. And it’s only the beginning.”
Su Xiao rested her head on his breast, listening to his heartbeat. “The beginning of forever,” she said.
Lin Yu smiled, wrapping his arms around her tighter. “Forever.”
Chapter Four: Post-Graduation Struggles
Graduation day was sunny and warm. Lin Yu and Su Xiao stood in the college playground, surrounded by their classmates, as the headmaster gave a speech about “chasing dreams” and “making a difference.” When it was over, they threw their caps into the air, cheering, and hugged each other tightly. Su Xiao’s eyes were wet with tears, and Lin Yu wiped them away with his thumb.
“We’re graduates,” Su Xiao said, laughing. “Can you believe it? Four years ago, we were just two kids in a library, scared of the college entrance exam.”
Lin Yu nodded his head. “It feels like yesterday. Remember when you accidentally spilled the rose tea on my math book? I was mad, but you bought me a new one and wrote ‘Sorry!’ and I can tell that you are sincere.”
Su Xiao giggled. “You still have that book, don’t you?”
Lin Yu nodded. “It’s on my bookshelf at home. I promise I will keep it forever because you bought it for me.”
However, the excitement of graduation faded quickly when they started looking for jobs. Lin Yu sent out dozens of applications to engineering companies. There were big ones like Huawei, small ones like local electronics firms, but most of them rejected him. “We’re looking for candidates with 2+ years of work experience as well as superexcellent practice competence,” one rejection email said. “Your academic record is impressive, but we need someone who are skilled in our starting program.”
Su Xiao had it just as hard. She applied to publishing houses and libraries, but the competition was fierce during those year. The competition was so intense. She got one interview at a small publishing company in the city center, but they told her they were “looking for someone with more editing experience.” “You’re talented,” the interviewer said, “but we need someone who can handle deadlines right away.”
They moved into a small apartment on the suburb of the city with two rooms, a tiny kitchen, a bathroom with a shower that only worked when it was satisfied. The rent was 2,000 yuan a month, which took most of their savings. They bought second-hand furniture from a secondary market: a couch that squeaked when you sat on it, a bed that was too small for both of them, a table that was shabby.
“We need to be realistic,” Lin Yu said one night, as they sat on the squeaky couch, eating rice and a bowl of insipid vegetables. He’d just gotten another rejection email, and his mood was low. “We can’t wait for our dream jobs. We need to take whatever we can get.”
Su Xiao nodded, her eyes sad. She had been frustrated through job applications posted through her phone but none of the companies was willing to accept her. She had no idea to make a living but to post her profile to companies that had nothing to do with literature, most of them were for sales or customer service. “I know. There’s a customer service job at the department store near here. They’re hiring immediately. I have applied it and prone to be employed.”
Lin Yu felt a sense of guilt. Su Xiao had always wanted to work with books—to edit novels, to help authors tell their stories. A customer service job was the thing she had to do but she had never thought of the job before. “You don’t have to do that,” he said. “I can take another part-time job. I already tutor on weekends. Maybe I can add more students.”
Su Xiao shook her head, reaching for his hand. “No, you’re already tired enough. You come home at 10 p.m. every night, and you’re so exhausted you can barely have strength to talk. I’ll be fine. It’s just temporary. Until we find better jobs.”
Lin Yu squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry. I wish I could give you more.”
“You give me enough,” Su Xiao said, leaning her head on his shoulder. “As long as we’re together, I’m satisfied.”
Su Xiao got the customer service job a few days later. She worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., dealing with bad-tempered customers who complained about broken products or long waits. “A woman yelled at me today because her dress was the wrong size,” she told Lin Yu that night， with watery eyes. “I wanted to cry, but I just smiled and said, ‘I’m sorry, let’s fix this.’” LiuYu was so heartbreaking that he resolved to find more jobs no matter what was it about.
A few days later, Lin Yu found a job as a technician at a small electronics company. He worked from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., fixing computers and software issues. The work was boring most of the time, he just replaced broken hard drives or installed new software, but it paid the bills. “I fixed a laptop today that had a virus,” he told Su Xiao over dinner. “The customer was so happy, she gave me a box of chocolates. Want one?”
By the time they got home every night, they were both exhausted. They would eat a quick dinner which were usually rice, a bowl of vegetables, and sometimes eggs if they could afford them and then go to bed, too tired to talk. The stress started to take a toll. They argued over small things: Lin Yu forgetting to buy milk, Su Xiao leaving her clothes on the chair, the fact that they couldn’t afford to go out to dinner or see a movie.
“I’m so tired of this,” Su Xiao said one night, after they had argued about Lin Yu being late home. She was sitting on the squeaky couch, her eyes red from crying. “I’m tired of working a job I hate, tired of eating the same thing every night, tired of never having any fun.”
Lin Yu sat down next to her, his head in his hands. “I know. I am too. But what else can we do? We’re trying, Su Xiao. I’m trying.”
“I know you are,” Su Xiao said, her voice softening. She reached out and touched his back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blame you. It’s not your fault. It’s just… this life. I just wish we could own more.”
Lin Yu looked up at her, his eyes tired but loving. “I know. Me too. But we will get there. I promise.”
The next weekend, they decided to take a break from work and stress. They slept smoothly until 10 a.m., which felt like a luxury, and then made pancakes for breakfast. Su Xiao burned the first batch, but they laughed and ate them anyway. Then they walked to the park near their apartment, holding hands.
They sat on a bench, watching kids play on the swings and dogs chase each other. The sun was warm, and a breeze blew through the trees.
“Do you remember when we made our pact in high school?” Su Xiao said, leaning her head on Lin Yu’s shoulder. “We said we’d get into Nanjing University and study together forever. We did the first part. Now we just need to do the second.”
Lin Yu nodded, wrapping his arm around her. “We will. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but we will. Because we’re not giving up. Remember? That’s what we do—we fight then win.”
Su Xiao smiled, looking up at him. “Yeah. We will win.”
That night, as they lay in bed, Su Xiao turned to Lin Yu. “I have an idea,” she said. “What if I start writing? I have always wanted to write a novel. Maybe I can write in my free time—after work, on weekends. It won’t make us money, but it’ll make me happy. And maybe I can get it published one day.”
Lin Yu’s face lit up. “That’s a great idea! I’ll help you by reading your drafts, giving you feedback. Whatever you need.”
Su Xiao kissed him softly. “Thank you. You’re the best.”
Lin Yu pulled her close. “No, you’re the best. And one day, the life even the world will know it.”
Chapter Five: Unexpected Shift
Six months later, on a cold December morning, Lin Yu was at work, fixing a broken computer for a customer, when his phone rang. It was an unknown number, but he answered it instantly because he thought it might be a potential client for his tutoring side job or something emergent.
“Is this Lin Yu?” a man’s voice asked, excited and warm.
“Yes, I am,” Lin Yu replied, setting down his wrench. “Who’s this? And what do you want to do?”
“I’m Zhang Wei, a director. I saw you on the Main Street last week when you were helping that old lady carry her groceries to her car, and you had such quality of generosity. I’m recruiting actors for a new drama, The Dream of Youth, and I think you would be perfect for the lead role. It’s about a young engineer who chases his dream. Do you have any acting experience?”
Lin Yu froze. A director? A lead role? He’d never acted in his life. “Sorry, sir. I’ve never acted before. You must have the wrong person.”
“Wait, no, let me explain,” Zhang Wei said. “I don’t need someone with experience. I need someone who is genuine, who can relate to the character. You’re an engineer, right? You know what it’s like to work hard, to chase a dream. That’s exactly what the character is like. Can you meet me tomorrow for a brief interview? It is just a quick introduction of the drama. No pressure.”
Lin Yu hesitated. He was skeptical as this sounded too lucky to be true. But something in Zhang Wei’s voice made him want to believe it. “Where and when?” he asked.
Zhang Wei gave him the address of a studio in the city center and a time at 10 a.m. the next day. “Just wear something casual, and bring a friend if you want. I’ll see you there.”
After hanging up, Lin Yu called Su Xiao. His hands were shaking, and his voice was so excited he could barely speak. “It is unbelievable. I can’t believe it,” he said, telling her about the call.
Su Xiao was shocked. “A director chooses you as the lead role in a drama? That’s wonderful! You have to go to the interview.”
“I don’t know,” Lin Yu said. “What if I’m terrible? What if it’s a trick?”
“It’s not a trick, I believe,” Su Xiao said, her voice firm. “And even if you’re terrible, it’s an experience. Go for it. I’ll come with you to support you.”
The next day, Su Xiao took the morning off work, and they went to the studio together. It was a small, cozy space with white walls, a few chairs, a table with a script on it, and a camera set up in the corner. Zhang Wei was there, along with a scriptwriter and a casting assistant. He was wearing a black jacket and jeans, and he smiled when he saw Lin Yu.
“Lin Yu! Glad you could make it,” he said, shaking his hand. He turned to Su Xiao. “And this must be your friend?”
“Girlfriend,” Su Xiao said, smiling. “I’m here to cheer him on.”
Zhang Wei handed Lin Yu a script. “This is a scene between the lead character, Xiao Ming, and his girlfriend. Xiao Ming is talking about his dream to build a robot that helps people with disabilities. And your mission is to read Xiao Ming’s lines and my assistant will read the girlfriend’s part.”
Lin Yu took a deep breath, glancing at Su Xiao who gave him a thumbs up, and then he started reading. At first, he was nervous, and his voice shook, he forgot his lines twice. But as he read, he started to relate to Xiao Ming—his passion for engineering, his fear of failing, his love for his girlfriend. He thought about his own dream to design helpful machines, about Su Xiao, about all tmstruggles they had been through. When he finished, the room was quiet.
Zhang Wei smiled. “That’s it. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. You’re hired. Congratulations”
Lin Yu couldn’t believe it. “Really? You’re not joking?”
“Of course I am not joking. You are definitely hired,” Zhang Wei said. “We’ll start filming next week. The pay is 5,000 yuan per episode, and there are 20 episodes. So there is about 100,000 yuan total. That is enough to cover your rent and expenses, even more extra expenses. And if the drama does well, it could open the acting door for you, wining you more roles, more opportunities.”
That night, they celebrated at a small restaurant which was their first feast in months. They ordered sweet and sour pork, fried rice, and a bottle of orange juice. Su Xiao laughed as Lin Yu told her about the interview, and she squeezed his hand every time he talked about the drama.
“I can’t believe this,” Lin Yu said, taking a bite of pork. “We won’t have to struggle anymore. You can quit your customer service job shortly, focus on your writing.”
Su Xiao’s eyes were shiny with tears. “I’m so proud of you. You deserve this.”
Filming started the next week, and Lin Yu quickly realized that acting was harder than it looked. He had to memorize lines, hit his marks, and show emotion on camera. Most importantly, he need to work for long hours. But he loved it and full of enthusiastic. He loved the challenge, the feeling of bringing a character to life, the intimate bond with all the staff. “They’re like family,” he told Su Xiao one night, after filming. “We laugh together, we help each other when we forget lines, we celebrate when we finish a hard scene.”
Su Xiao quit her customer service job, just like Lin Yu had suggested, and started working as his “manager” to handle his schedule, answer fan messages, and help him memorize his lines. “You just need to think about Xiao Ming’s feelings,” she’d say, sitting on the couch with him, the script open on their laps. “He’s scared, but he’s also hopeful. Let that come through in your voice.”
She also started writing more. She would wake up at 6 a.m., write for a few hours, then go to the film set to bring Lin Yu lunch. “I finished the first chapter of my novel,” she told him one day, handing him a notebook. “It’s about a girl who works in a bookstore and dreams of being a writer.”
Lin Yu read it that night, and he cried. “It’s amazing, Su Xiao. The characters feel real, like people we know.”
Su Xiao smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Thank you. I couldn’t do it without you.”
One day, as Su Xiao was sitting on the film set, watching Lin Yu film a scene, Zhang Wei walked over to her. He was holding a cup of coffee, and he smiled as he sat down next to her.
“You’re Lin Yu’s girlfriend, right? He talks about you all the time,” he said. “He says you’re the reason he’s here, the reaso why he’s so genuine, why he understands Xiao Ming.”
Su Xiao blushed. “I just support him. It is himself that do all the hard work.”
Zhang Wei shook his head. “Support is everything. I have seen a lot of actors get famous and forget the people who helped them. But Lin Yu? He’s different. He’s kind, he’s humble, he’s grateful. That’s why people like him, why viewers will support him too.”
That night, after filming, Lin Yu came home tired but happy. He had filmed an emotional scene successfully and won the director and all staff’s praise. Su Xiao had made his favorite dinner and had a glass of water waiting for him.
“How was your day?” she asked, sitting down next to him.
“Amazing,” Lin Yu said, taking a bite of ribs. “Zhang Wei talked to me about a new role after this drama, he wants me to star in a movie about a teacher who helps poor students. It’s a big role, Su Xiao. A really big role.”
Su Xiao’s eyes widened. “That’s incredible! You’re going to be a movie star.”
Lin Yu laughed, pulling her into a hug. “I don’t care about being a star. I care about us. About making sure you’re happy, about us having the life we dreamed of.”
He kissed her forehead. “None of this would matter without you. You’re my everything, Su Xiao.”
Su Xiao hugged him back, tears in her eyes. “You’re my everything too, Lin Yu. Always.”
Chapter Six: Reflectiong on the Journey
Two years later, The Dream of Youth was a craze. It was displayed on national TV, and Lin Yu became a wideknown name. Fans stopped him on the street to ask for photos, and his social media had millions of followers. His role as the teacher had won several awards that were an admission of his eforts. At the award ceremony, he thanked Su Xiao in his speech, his voice exciting and convincing: “None of this would be possible without the woman who believed in me when I entirely didn’t believe in myself.”
Su Xiao had published her first novel, The Library Girl, which was about a young woman who followed her dream to work in writing books. It had become a bestseller, and she was now working on her second book. They had successfully moved into a big, beautiful house in the city center, with a spacious living room, a kitchen where they could cook together, a study where Su Xiao could write and a studio for Lin Yu to practise his performance. However, what should be emphasized was that they never forgot where they came from, never wasted food or money to do something meaningless.
One weekend, while they were recalling their high school life, they came up the idea to go back to their old high school to pay a visit to their teachers. Nothing to consider, they drove there by Lin Yu’s car instantly ,and walked through the main gate. The school looked the same: the red brick buildings, the playground where they had played basketball during breaks, the library where they had studied for hours.
They walked to the classroom where they once took classes in, and peeked through the window. A math class was shown to students, and the teacher was writing equations on the blackboard, just like Mrs. Wang had done all those years ago. A boy was sitting at Lin Yu’s old desk, staring at his textbook, and a girl was sitting at Su Xiao’s desk, flipping through a flashcard. Looking at the scence, Lin Yu and Su Xiao’ mind was brought back to high school, that period, that experience. Just like what they wanted to achieve, nowadays, the passion of the two students concentrating on the class was two flowers that were ready to blossom.
“This is where we met,” Su Xiao said, her voice soft. She reached for Lin Yu’s hand, and he squeezed it. “You were sitting at that desk, staring at an English problem like it was the hardest thing in the world, and I asked if the seat next to you was taken. Then our story kicked off. I am so lucky to have asked you about that.”
Lin Yu smiled. “In fact , when I had the first glimpse on you, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I was so nervous, I almost dropped my water bottle. You had a smudge of pencil lead on your cheek, and I wanted to wipe it off, but I was too scared and timid. And I guess I have fallen in love with you at that time.”
Su Xiao laughed. “You never told me that!”
“I was too embarrassed, and you know, that was our first meeting and I am afraid of leaving the terrible impression on you” Lin Yu said, grinning.
They walked to the library next, the same library where they had met every morning to study. The tables were still there, the same wooden ones with scratches and doodles. They sat down at the table by the window, which was the same table they had sat at all those years ago, and Su Xiao ran her finger over a tiny heart she’d carved on the desk.
“We used to bring snacks and rose tea here,” Su Xiao said, her eyes soft. “You would always give me more while leaving less, even though you loved them too. And you would stay up late helping me with physics and math, even though you had your own homework. Because of you relentless help and sacrifice, I could reach a higher level on study. You are such a hero for me.”
“You are my star at that time. It was your company that inspired me to keep on learning and advancing in hard times. Moreover, I wanted to spend time with you,” Lin Yu said. “Even if it meant that I would stay up late, I just enjoyed being with you becaue I love you.”
They walked to the park near their old apartment where they had gone through the hardest time. The bench they sat on was still there, and they sat down, watching kids play on the swings and dogs chase each other. The sun was warm, just like it had been that day when they were confiding to each other.
“Do you remember when we argued here?” Su Xiao asked, leaning her head on Lin Yu’s shoulder. “I was so tired of my customer service job, I regreted for my incompetence to work on my writing. I cried. You hugged me and said we would get through it together. Honestly, I didn’t believe you at that time, but you were right.”
Lin Yu nodded, wrapping his arm around her. “I knew we would. Because we are a team. We have always been a team. You know , a team can conquer everything.”
They drove to Nanjing University next, walking through the campus where they had spent four happy years. They visited the old library, the lake where they had sat at sunset, the cafeteria that served the best sweet and sour pork. They even stopped by the engineering club room and Lin Yu’s old robot project was still there, displayed in a billboard with a sign that read “2021 Campus Innovation Award.”
“We did so much here,” Su Xiao said, looking around the engineering club room. “Joined clubs, worked part-time jobs, stayed up late studying. It was hard, but it was happy. Because we were together.”
Lin Yu kissed her forehead. “It was the happiest time of my life. And now, I feel grateful for your company and the love you have offered me.”
That night, they went back to their old apartment, the tiny two-room place on the outskirts of the city. They had kept it as a reminder of their struggles even though they didn’t live there anymore. They walked through the door, and it felt like stepping back to old times: the creaky couch, the small kitchen, the bedroom with the small bed.
“We were so poor when we lived here,” Su Xiao said, laughing as she looked around. “We ate instant noodles every night, and we couldn’t afford to turn on the heater in winter. I remember one night, we huddled under a blanket and talked about our dreams until 2 a.m.”
Lin Yu nodded. “I thought I was sorry for you. I thought I would never be able to give you the life you were eager for. I even wanted to break up with you, enabling you to hunt for a better life. Fortunately, I instantly regreted and didn’t speak it out. You never complained about such harsh life. You just held my hand and said, ‘I will be with you at any time.’ And you really accomplish your promise. Thank you, Su Xiao.”
They ordered takeout for sweet and sour pork, just like the had had on their first nice dinner and ate it on the floor, sitting close to each other. As they ate, they talked about all the memories: high school, college, post-graduation struggles, Lin Yu’s acting career, Su Xiao’s books.
“Once more again, I’m so grateful for everything we have been through,” Su Xiao said, holding Lin Yu’s hand. “The good times, the hard times, they made us who we are. They made our love stronger.”
Lin Yu smiled, leaning in to kiss her. “Me too. I wouldn’t change a thing. Because every step led us to this moment and to each other.”
Chapter Seven: True Love Affirmed
The next morning, Lin Yu and Su Xiao woke up with the first ray of sunlight filtering through the curtains. They’d agreed to go for a walk along the lake near their new house, a place they’d grown fond of over the past year, with its quiet paths and beautiful views of the water. The air was crisp with the chill of early autumn, and the ground was covered with a thin layer of fallen leaves that crunched softly under their feet as they walked hand in hand. The sun was just rising over the horizon, painting the sky in soft shades of pink and orange, and the lake’s surface was calm, reflecting the warm colors like a mirror.
As they strolled, they talked about their plans for the future. Su Xiao’s eyes lit up as she spoke about her next novel. She wanted to write a story about friendship and growth, inspired by the people they’d met over the years. Lin Yu listened attentively, occasionally nodding or asking questions, and then shared his own idea: he wanted to start a charity foundation to help poor students afford college tuition and supplies. “I remember how hard it was for us to make ends meet in college,” he said, squeezing her hand gently. “I don’t want other kids to give up on their dreams just because they don’t have enough money.”
Su Xiao smiled, leaning her head lightly against his shoulder. “That’s such a kind thing to do. I know you’ll make a difference.” They walked a little further, enjoying the peaceful morning, until they reached a wooden bench by the lake. It was the same bench where they had sat on their first date after college, sharing a picnic of steamed buns and jasmine tea. Lin Yu stopped, turning to face her, and she could see a nervous yet determined look in his eyes.
“I have something important to ask you,” he said, his voice steady but slightly trembling with emotion. He took a deep breath, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. Su Xiao’s eyes widened in surprise as he got down on one knee in front of her, the box open in his hand to reveal a simple silver ring with a tiny, sparkling diamond. It was exactly the kind of ring she had mentioned in passing years ago, saying she preferred something delicate and meaningful over something flashy.
“Su Xiao,” Lin Yu began, his gaze never leaving hers, “we’ve been together for ten years now. Think about how far we’ve come. We met in high school, two nervous kids sitting in Class 11-3, struggling with quadratic functions and English vocabulary. Back then, I never imagined that the girl who asked if the seat next to me was taken would become the most important person in my life. We studied together in the library every morning, sharing steamed buns and helping each other through tough exams. We made a pact in the rain to get into Nanjing University together, and we worked so hard to make that happen, staying up late to review notes, comforting each other when we felt discouraged, and celebrating every small win along the way.”
He paused for a moment, swallowing back the lump in his throat, then continued. “College wasn’t easy. We had to balance intense classes with part-time jobs just to pay for textbooks and rent. I spent hours in the engineering lab, building robots and working on projects until my eyes were sore, and you stayed up late in the library, reading hundreds of pages for your literature classes and writing essays that made your professors proud. Even when we were tired and stressed, we always made time for each other—whether it was a quick walk around the lake after dinner or bringing each other hot milk to keep us going through late-night study sessions.”
“After graduation, things got even harder. We sent out dozens of job applications and got rejected more times than we could count. We moved into that tiny apartment on the outskirts of the city, with the squeaky couch and the shower that barely worked, and ate instant noodles for dinner most nights. You took a customer service job you hated just to help pay the bills, and I worked as a technician fixing computers, even though it felt like I was wasting my engineering degree. There were nights when we argued over silly things like me forgetting to buy milk or you leaving your clothes on the chair, and we cried because we were so tired and frustrated. But through it all, you never left my side. You kept telling me that we’d get through it together, and you were right.”
“I used to think true love was about grand gestures like big bouquets of flowers, fancy dinners at expensive restaurants, or romantic trips around the world. But you’ve taught me that true love is so much more than that. It’s waking up at 6 a.m. to make me steamed buns even though you hate getting up early. It’s helping me memorize acting lines at 11 p.m. when you’re exhausted from writing. It’s leaving sticky notes with encouraging messages in my math workbook or my script. It’s arguing over small things and then making up five minutes later because you know our love is bigger than any misunderstanding. It’s being a team facing all of life’s challenges together, not alone.”
Lin Yu’s voice grew softer, filled with deep affection. “Su Xiao, you’re my best friend. You’re the first person I want to call when something good happens, and the first person I run to when I’m feeling down. You believe in me even when I don’t believe in myself like when I got that call from Director Zhang and thought it was a scam, or when I was scared to audition for that first drama. You’ve supported me through every step of my acting career, and you’ve never let me forget where I came from. And you have chased your own dreams too, publishing your novels and sharing your stories with the world, even when it was hard.”
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning, make breakfast together in our kitchen, and walk along this lake every weekend. I want to watch you write more amazing books and celebrate every success with you. I want to build that charity foundation and make a difference in the world, with you by my side. I want to grow old with you, remembering all the wonderful moments we’ve shared and creating new ones together. Will you marry me?”
Tears streamed down Su Xiao’s face as she nodded vigorously, unable to speak for a moment. When she finally found her voice, it was soft but full of certainty. “Yes! Lin Yu, yes! I would love to marry you.”
Lin Yu slipped the ring onto her finger, and it fit perfectly. He stood up, pulling her into a tight hug, and she buried her face in his chest, crying happy tears. He held her close, kissing the top of her head repeatedly, and they stayed like that for a long time, listening to the sound of the lake and the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze.
When they pulled apart, Su Xiao wiped her tears with the back of her hand and smiled at him. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small, well-worn notebook—her writing journal. “I finished my second novel,” she said, handing it to him. “It’s about us. Our story from that day in high school when we met, to college, to our struggles after graduation, to now. I called it The True Love.”
Lin Yu took the notebook, his hands still slightly trembling, and flipped through the pages. Her neat, familiar handwriting filled each page, and he recognized little details from their lives like the flashcard with the confused stick figure for “ambiguous,” the rainy day they made their pact, and the steamed buns they shared in the library. He read the first few lines, and his eyes filled with tears again.
“I wrote it for us,” Su Xiao said softly, watching his reaction. “To remember all the small, ordinary moments that made our love so special. I wanted to show that true love isn’t perfect. It’s messy and hard sometimes, and it takes work. But it’s worth it because it is real. It is about choosing each other, every single day, no matter what.”
Lin Yu pulled her into another hug, holding the notebook tightly against his chest. “I love it. It’s perfect. Just like you. I love you more than I can ever say.”
Over the next few months, they planned their wedding with great care. They didn’t want a big, fancy ceremony. Instead, they wanted something small and intimate, with just their family and closest friends. They decided to get married in the park near their old apartment, the same park where they had gone when they were struggling after graduation. It was a place that held special meaning for them, a reminder of how far they’d come together.
The wedding day was warm and sunny, just like their graduation day. Su Xiao wore a simple white dress, and her hair was tied back with the same white scrunchie she’d worn in high school, a small nod to their past. Lin Yu wore a navy-blue suit, the same color as their high school uniforms. They exchanged vows under a big oak tree, with their parents and a few close friends watching. “I vow to love you, Su Xiao, for the rest of my life,” Lin Yu said, holding her hands tightly.
“I vow to support your dreams, to make you laugh when you’re sad, to listen to you when you need to talk, and to always be your team. I vow to never forget the small moments that made us fall in love to keep bringing you steamed buns, to leave you sticky notes, and to walk along this lake with you every chance I get. I vow to be patient, kind, and understanding, even when we argue. I vow to love you, not just on the good days, but on the hard days too.”
Su Xiao’s voice trembled with emotion as she spoke her vows. “I vow to love you, Lin Yu, forever. I vow to believe in you, no matter what. I vow to help you with your acting lines, to read your scripts and give you honest feedback, and to remind you how amazing you are when you’re feeling insecure. I vow to keep writing stories that make you proud, and to support you in building that charity foundation. I vow to never let us forget where we came from to remember the tiny apartment, the instant noodles, and all the struggles we overcame together. I vow to be your partner, your best friend, and your biggest fan, always.”
After the wedding, they went on a small honeymoon to Nanjing, the city where they’d spent four wonderful years in college. They stayed in a cozy hotel near the university campus, and spent their days wandering around the places they’d loved so much. They visited the old library where they’d studied together, sitting at their favorite table by the window. They ate sweet and sour pork at the campus cafeteria, just like they used to. They walked along the lake where they’d sat at sunset countless times, holding hands and reminiscing about their college days.
One evening, as they watched the sun set over the lake, Su Xiao leaned her head on Lin Yu’s shoulder. “Do you remember when we made our first pact?” she asked. “We said we’d get into Nanjing University together. And we did.”
Lin Yu nodded, wrapping his arm around her. “Then we made a second pact to keep fighting, no matter what. We did that too.”
Su Xiao smiled, looking up at him. “What’s our next pact?”
Lin Yu thought for a moment, then grinned. “To keep loving each other, no matter what. To never take each other for granted. To keep creating new memories and cherishing the old ones. To always be a team.”
Su Xiao linked her pinky finger with his, just like they’d done all those years ago in the rain. “Pact number three. No matter what.”
Lin Yu kissed her forehead gently. “No matter what.”
A few months later, Su Xiao’s second novel, The True Love, was published. It quickly became a bestseller, touching the hearts of readers all over China. People loved the story of two ordinary people who fell in love, struggled through hard times, and found happiness together. One day, Lin Yu found a review online and read it aloud to Su Xiao:
“The True Love isn’t just a romance novel, it’s a story about life. It celebrates the small, ordinary moments that make love real: steamed buns shared over a library table, flashcards scribbled with doodles, holding hands in the rain, or eating instant noodles together when money is tight. It shows that true love isn’t about perfection; it’s about loyalty, companionship, and being there for each other, even when life gets hard. This is the kind of love we all want, the kind that lasts a lifetime, built on mutual respect, support, and countless little acts of kindness.”
Lin Yu looked at Su Xiao, his eyes filled with pride. “They get it. They understand what true love really is.”
Su Xiao smiled, leaning against him. “Because it’s our story. And our story is real.”
That night, as they lay in bed, Lin Yu held Su Xiao close. He thought about all the years they had shared, from that first day in high school when she asked if the seat next to him was taken, to their wedding day in the park, and everything in between. He thought about the library mornings, the rainy day kiss, the tiny apartment with the squeaky couch, the first time he held her novel in his hands, and the day he asked her to marry him. He thought about all the struggles they had overcome and all the dreams they had chased together. “I’m so glad I met you that day in high school,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.
“I am so glad you had the courage to ask if that seat was taken.”
Su Xiao laughed softly, snuggling closer to him. “Me too. I knew there was something special about you even if you were staring at that math problem like it was the hardest thing in the world.”
Lin Yu kissed her gently, his lips soft against hers. “I love you, Su Xiao.”
“I love you too, Lin Yu,” she replied, her voice soft and warm.
As they drifted off to sleep, holding each other tightly, they knew that their love was true. It was not about fame or money, or any of the material things they’d gained over the years. It was about the journey they had taken together, the good times and the hard times, the laughter and the tears, the small moments and the big ones. It was about choosing each other, every single day, no matter what. And that, they realized, is what true love is all about.
References
1.Sternberg, R. J. (1986). A triangular theory of love. Psychological Review, 93(2), 119-135.
2. Brontë, C. (1847). Jane Eyre. Smith, Elder & Co.
3.Austen, J. (1813). Pride and Prejudice. T. Egerton, Whitehall.
