Endless Summers

“I like you. That’s why I pretended to be the neighbor next door playing the harmonica for you. Why I curtseyed toward your shadow like a princess. Why, even during the graduation photo, my eyes went straight to you. I took you to my secret hideout, told you the person I loved most was my grandmother, watched my favorite movie with you, and wanted to share every little topic with you. Because among all the fleeting scenery and changing people, you are the one I like most.”

For Chen Yingzhong, it was simply a case of a long‑held crush finally coming true.

“If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t let you fall asleep on my shoulder. I wouldn’t worry about your skin allergies. I wouldn’t give you flowers.

“If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t want to join your graduation trip. I wouldn’t teach you the cello. I wouldn’t come running whenever you called. And I certainly wouldn’t plan my future with you in it.”

The affection they confessed at eighteen wasn’t a joke. It was something they intended to hold onto for a lifetime.