The young girl's feelings had turned into a secret she couldn't speak aloud.
But because she had acknowledged her own emotions, she could no longer pretend nothing had happened.
Yin Yunyi began trying hard to control her reactions around Yun Ye.
When handing out assignments, she passed by Yun Ye's seat. The boy was in the middle of solving problems and had dozed off at his desk, his right hand holding a pen that dangled over the edge.
Yin Yunyi's school uniform pocket caught on Yun Ye's pen.
Disturbed by the movement, Yun Ye slowly sat up straight. His eyes were bleary, but after recognizing who stood before him, he glanced at the pen in his hand and casually said, "You want it?" He stuffed the pen into her pocket. "Here."
"...Thank you."
Yin Yunyi carried the stack of assignments back to her seat and took the pen out of her pocket to examine it. She scribbled a couple of lines on paper, and before she knew it, she had written those words.
[I like you.]
[Yun Ye.]
Snapping back to reality and realizing what she had written, Yin Yunyi frantically crossed out the lines. When a classmate walked by, she immediately closed the notebook and shoved it into her desk.
Xu Yao, from another class, came by before school ended to tell her, "Yunyi, did you know lots of people have been giving Yun Ye love letters? The teacher even called his parents, worried he might be dating too early."
Yin Yunyi suppressed her emotions and asked, "So many people like Yun Ye?"
"Yeah, I even wrote him a love letter before," Xu Yao said with a grin. "But he ignored it, and I ended up liking someone else not long after."
Distractedly propping her chin on her hand while working on problems, Yin Yunyi happened to glance out the window and saw a tall girl who looked a few years older than them, glancing around. Her eyes were nearly identical to Yun Ye's.
Could that be Yun Ye's "parent"?
Yin Yunyi stood up and walked over to get a better look. At the stairwell landing, she saw the girl talking to Yun Ye. Yun Ye was leaning against the old wooden window behind him.
The girl asked him, "Those love letters—did your deskmate write them?"
Yun Ye: "..."
The girl sounded surprised. "I can't believe someone actually has a crush on my brother." She started laughing. "And such a pretty girl, too."
Yun Ye struggled for a moment before saying, "...No."
His tone was exasperated. "Yun Li, you're so noisy."
"Will your homeroom teacher scold me later?" Yun Li sighed. "Ah, Yun Ye, can't you stay out of trouble?"
"At worst, she'll just scold me..." Yun Ye said impatiently. Seeing Yun Li looking dejected, he hesitated before reluctantly softening his tone. "If you help me deal with the teacher, I'll treat you to dinner tonight."
Yun Li gave him a suspicious look. "Are you paying, or am I?"
Caught, Yun Ye's eyes crinkled as he shamelessly replied, "You are."
Yun Li: "..."
After their conversation, the siblings headed upstairs. Seeing this, Yin Yunyi quickly ducked back and ran to the classroom.
Sitting back at her desk, her heart pounded with guilt for eavesdropping on their conversation.
She started on her homework but soon found herself lost in thought.
The way Yun Ye and Yun Li interacted seemed so natural and close, just like how she was with Yin Yucheng.
She felt a little envious.
Not long after, Yun Ye returned to pack up his things. In Yin Yunyi's experience, someone who had just been lectured by a teacher should either be sulking or crying. Yun Ye just seemed annoyed. He met her gaze briefly before slinging his bag over his shoulder and leaving.
Yin Yunyi thought he was someone who kept his emotions tightly guarded.She pretended to focus on her homework for a while, not wanting to cause a commotion with her questions. After some deliberation, Yin Yunyi wrote a note on a small card and, without turning around, placed it on his desk from the front.
[I get scolded by teachers a lot too, don’t feel bad.]
She even added a smiley face at the end. [:)]
Yun Ye glanced at her, then after a moment, picked up his pen and scribbled something before tossing the card back to her as he passed by her seat, his tone as casual as ever. "Later."
There were only two messy, carefree symbols—[:)]
Yin Yunyi’s high school life became increasingly centered around following Yun Ye’s shadow. She would secretly watch him during basketball games, cheering excitedly for his scores. After exam results were posted, she would check his ranking first, her heart rising and falling with each fluctuation. Every day after school, she would leave at around the same time as him, "coincidentally" bumping into him.
These occasional encounters were the highlights of her daily life back then.
During the three-day high school sports meet in their freshman year, all the students moved their chairs to the field, creating a bustling crowd. Later, their classmates started playing games in their seats.
The losers had to play Truth or Dare.
Yun Ye had just finished the relay race and was catching his breath when someone pulled him into a chair. He was wearing a sports tank top, his body not yet fully grown, the muscles on his arms not yet defined.
Yin Yunyi grabbed a bottle of water from nearby and handed it to him.
Yun Ye took it and said, "Thanks."
As he drank, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and beads of sweat dripped from his hair. Yin Yunyi watched for a moment before meeting his gaze, her heart pounding as she quickly looked down.
The game continued.
Since Yun Ye had just joined, he lost a few rounds in a row, and the Truth questions kept circling the same few topics.
"Which girl here do you think is the prettiest?"
Yun Ye didn’t want to answer that kind of question. He deflected, "Everyone has different tastes."
"Then which girl here fits your taste the most?"
Yun Ye lifted his eyes and quickly said a name. "Yin Yunyi."
Other boys had answered with her name before, but none of their responses had hit her as hard as Yun Ye’s. Even though she hadn’t been exercising, she felt a thin layer of sweat forming on her skin.
"Do you think Yin Yunyi looks better with her hair up or down?"
Yun Ye let out an "ah," leaning back in his chair and rocking slightly, his eyes crinkling with a sunny smile. "I’ve never seen her with her hair down." The others pressed him, and after a moment, he answered offhandedly, "Down, I guess."
The girl next to her teased, "Yunyi, you’re blushing!"
Yin Yunyi tensed internally but kept her composure as she met Yun Ye’s gaze. "It’s a little hot out," she excused herself. "I’m going to the convenience store."
In front of the store, Yin Yunyi let out a sigh of relief, glad she hadn’t given herself away.
She wanted to buy an ice cream cone, but the store only accepted cash or online payments. Since Yin Yunyi only had money on her campus card, she gave up on the idea.
Nearby stood the sports meet’s award announcement board. She paused, scanning it for Yun Ye’s name.
Suddenly, Yun Ye’s voice sounded beside her. "Did you find my name?"
Yin Yunyi had already seen it but instinctively denied it. "No… where is it?"
"Here." The boy stepped forward and pointed directly at his name. Yin Yunyi stared at his face for a few seconds before dazedly looking back at the two characters—"Yun Ye"—on the board."I bought too much, here you go." Yun Ye handed her the ice cream cone. Yin Yunyi, caught off guard, reached out and took it. Yun Ye bit into his popsicle, holding the stick as he waved at her. "Heading back now."
"..."
Yin Yunyi's gaze followed the boy's retreating figure before shifting to the cherry blossom-flavored cone in her hand.
She couldn't comprehend how someone in this world could be so breathtakingly handsome.
Yet, her strict upbringing made her bury these feelings deep within her heart.
Yin Yunyi thought, perhaps like Xu Yao had said, this infatuation was just a fleeting adolescent crush.
It would soon fade away.
A few days later, her family informed her that Yin Yucheng's job was in West Fuling City—she would be transferring schools.
Upon hearing this news, the first thing that came to Yin Yunyi's mind was that boy who had stirred her first flutter of love.
Unable to control her emotions, she burst into tears.
Usually composed and steady, Yin Yucheng was at a loss seeing her like this and quickly tried to comfort her.
After calming down slightly, she sniffled, "The schools there aren't as good as here. I want to get into a top university."
Yin Yucheng chuckled. "Our Yunyi scored so well in the high school entrance exams. I've already arranged for you to attend the best high school in Nanwu."
"The food there doesn't suit my taste."
"Mom and Dad are coming too. They'll cook West Fuling dishes for you."
"I haven't finished my prep classes yet."
"I'll transfer you to a prep school in Nanwu."
Yin Yunyi persisted, "All my friends are here."
Yin Yucheng reassured her, "I know you'll miss your friends here, but our Yunyi will make new ones at the new school."
"But... but..."
Her voice choked up.
In all these years, she had only ever met one boy like Yun Ye.
She kept wiping her tears. Her parents and brother were all leaving West Fuling—she wouldn't selfishly hold them back because of her own hazy, unspoken feelings.
Still, her heart ached.
She would never see Yun Ye again.
Yin Yunyi told Xu Yao about her transfer. Word spread quickly, and her classmates of over a year came to say goodbye, many bringing farewell gifts.
But Yun Ye wasn't among them.
For the young girl, the budding emotions she had yet to confess would now remain forever sealed.
On her last day at school, Yin Yucheng came to pick her up, mindful of her mood. Yin Yunyi walked silently until she heard footsteps and the sound of a basketball bouncing near the court.
Catching sight of that familiar figure, she paused.
Yin Yucheng asked, "What's wrong?"
She shook her head and continued walking with her head down.
"Yin Yunyi—"
From afar, Yun Ye's voice echoed across the empty playground.
Yin Yunyi turned immediately. Yun Ye stood at the edge of the basketball court, too far for her to see his expression clearly, but she was certain—he was looking at her.
After a few seconds, the tall, slender figure waved at her.
Softly, she whispered, "Let's go."
Her smooth hair fluttered lightly in the breeze.
It was the first time she had worn her hair down at school. Perhaps it had just been a careless joke from a thoughtless boy, but she had taken it to heart.
She had wanted Yun Ye to see.
...
At Nanwu High School, Yin Yunyi sat by the window in a single-row seat—no desk mate, only the sunlight of Nanwu keeping her company.She would occasionally gaze out the window in a daze, remembering how during middle school, she could glance outside and see Yun Ye dribbling a basketball across the court below.
Without a phone and with strictly limited internet access at home, she would spend her few minutes of weekend online time opening QQ. Seeing Yun Ye's primitive penguin avatar, she never knew what to message him.
She gradually adjusted to her new school, where life remained monotonous.
Until she received a postcard from West Fuling Experimental High School.
Yin Yunyi recognized Yun Ye's handwriting at a glance. The postcard contained nothing personal about him, only a simple message: [The class made a birthday gift for you and asked Yun Ye's sister to bring it to Nanwu City. Happy birthday, Yin Yunyi.]
When Yin Yunyi took the gift from Yun Li, she saw the neat, decisive words on the box— "For Yin Yunyi" —and immediately recognized Yun Ye's handwriting again.
Her heart pounded wildly as she stole a glance at Yin Yucheng.
Back home, she carried the box to her room and carefully unwrapped it.
Inside a transparent glass sphere lay pale white and soft pink cherry blossoms.
Noticing the faint specks of starlight on the petals, she turned off the lights—white fluorescent powder glowed gently. The preserved flowers emitted a soft light on her desk.
Staring at the gift, Yin Yunyi thought of the boy far away.
Perhaps she was lucky—at least the person she liked was the one preparing these things for her.
At first, she thought it was just a coincidence. But then she realized that every frequent postcard bore Yun Ye's handwriting.
Yin Yucheng noticed much earlier. Seeing that Yin Yunyi hadn’t been honest with him, he held up the stack of postcards and asked, "Did your old class assign someone to write letters for you?"
Yin Yunyi mirrored his gentle smile but didn’t answer.
Far more perceptive than she expected, Yin Yucheng sat beside her.
His pen moved steadily across his workbook as he observed Yin Yunyi’s calm expression and casually asked, "Does this little boy like you?"
The pencil lead snapped instantly.
Feigning composure, Yin Yunyi pressed the pencil and replied, "What?"
"His name is Yun Ye, right?" Yin Yucheng probed further. The hand holding the workbook stiffened slightly. Yin Yunyi resignedly lowered her head. "Brother, don’t tell Mom and Dad."
"But this isn’t good," Yin Yucheng said, a bit more serious now. "We should take others' feelings seriously. If you don’t like him, you should make it clear. Otherwise, it’ll affect him too."
Yin Yunyi stayed silent for a while before obediently responding, "I understand."
"Then use the computer longer this weekend and talk to him properly." Yin Yucheng didn’t press further, neatly arranging the postcards and placing them on her bookshelf.
"Okay." Yin Yunyi complied, lowering her head to continue her homework.
Over the weekend, Yin Yucheng extended her internet time to half an hour. When shutting down, she forgot to confirm, leaving the computer in standby mode.
Yin Yucheng placed a fruit plate on her desk and asked gently, "Did you talk to him?"
Yin Yunyi: "Mm."
"Was the little boy very upset?" Bored, Yin Yucheng lingered in her room. When she didn’t respond, he asked again after a moment, "How did he react?"
"..."
Yin Yunyi was working on the college entrance exam workbook he’d seen many times before. She lifted her head and glanced at her bedroom door. "Brother, I don’t have time right now." Kicked out of the room by his younger sister, Yin Yucheng idly returned to the study. Seeing the computer still on, he turned on the screen—Yin Yunyi's account was still logged in.
Worried her wording might be inappropriate, Yin Yucheng opened her chat window and glanced at the conversation from that afternoon.
yyy: 【Yun Ye】
yy: 【?】
Yun Ye replied instantly, while Yin Yunyi had pondered for a long time before sending her next message.
yyy: 【What are you doing?】
yy: 【Doing the Five-Three. You?】
yyy: 【Me too. Which book are you on, and how far have you gotten?】
yy: 【The Chinese one, Classical Chinese Test Point 4.】
yyy: 【Oh, then I’ll go work on that too.】
Half an hour later.
yy: 【Bye.】
Just by looking at the nicknames, Yin Yucheng could hardly tell who was who—one used the original male penguin avatar, while the other, equally naive, used the original female penguin avatar.
Yin Yucheng was speechless but immediately realized: the two of them had feelings for each other.
He turned off the computer and didn’t mention it to Yin Yunyi.
This was the first time Yin Yunyi had lied to her family.
She hadn’t known she could lie so effortlessly.
Yin Yunyi couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason she’d done it.
She remembered the scenes she’d witnessed over the past few years upon entering the classroom—Yun Ye lazily sprawled across his desk, one hand extended as he absentmindedly clicked a ballpoint pen over and over.
She remembered his unrestrained energy on the basketball court, how he’d lean on his knees, slightly breathless after scoring, occasionally glancing up as if spotting her in the crowd.
She remembered their five years of familiarity and distance—teasing each other like peers, yet maintaining the basic boundaries between a boy and a girl.
Yun Ye had never been particularly close to her. The moment they’d come nearest was when their fingers lightly brushed while passing an eraser.
Back then, Yin Yunyi had thought it was just her own heart fluttering.
But then she received those postcards from the boy.
Every word tried to conceal his feelings, yet every word failed to hide them.
She hadn’t been alone in her crush.
So, for once, the well-behaved and honest girl chose to lie to her family.
In her own way, she carefully nurtured this budding affection.
Both of them were facing the college entrance exams, so Yin Yunyi didn’t recklessly confess.
But she also had no intention of letting him shoulder the emotional burden alone.
She found an excuse to borrow ten yuan from Yin Yucheng. He saw through it but didn’t call her out, simply handing her the money.
At the school store of Nanwu High, Yin Yunyi picked out a set of pretty postcards.
After much hesitation, she still began with—【To the classmates of Class 15, Grade 2】.
It wasn’t until winter break, when Yun Ye came to Nanwu, that Yin Yunyi conveyed her feelings in the most subtle yet sincere way.
She gave Yun Ye a gift, labeling it in the exact same manner—【For Yun Ye】.
In the following months, to avoid her parents’ suspicion, Yin Yunyi exchanged postcards with ‘Class 15, Grade 2’ and ‘Class 15, Grade 3’ for a year and a half, borrowing ten yuan from her brother countless times. She could sign her real name, while Yun Ye had to keep using the class as a stand-in.
Yin Yunyi’s grades were slightly worse than Yun Ye’s, so they agreed to aim for West Science and Technology University together. She stopped traveling with Yin Yucheng during holidays, devoting all her energy to exam prep.
Fortunately.
She got into her dream university.And as she wished, she could attend the same university as Yun Ye.
After the college entrance exams, Yin Yunyi truthfully told Yin Yucheng that she planned to enroll in the same major at the same school as Yun Ye.
She had worried that Yin Yucheng would call her a lovesick fool, but he only gave his younger sister a meaningful look, took a sip of his refreshingly fizzy soda, and said with a hint of melancholy, "I want a campus romance too."
Yin Yunyi: "...Bro, you're already twenty-eight."
"Are you saying a twenty-eight-year-old man doesn't deserve a campus romance?" Yin Yucheng murmured gloomily. "Can't your little boyfriend give your brother some advice?"
"We're not even dating yet," Yin Yunyi immediately retorted.
"Yet our Yun Yi was willing to sleep on hospital benches for her little boyfriend," Yin Yucheng teased her. Blushing, Yin Yunyi wasn't afraid to admit it: "I just wanted to."
She was willing to do many things for Yun Ye, and she knew just as well that Yun Ye would do the same for her.
After the admission letter from West Science and Technology University arrived, her family bought Yin Yunyi a phone as a gift.
Every day, Yin Yunyi used this phone to message Yun Ye.
The summer vacation after the exams felt endlessly long. Yin Yunyi spent her days previewing university courses in her room, unable to find a reason to ask her parents for permission to visit West Fuling.
She noticed that the two words she wrote most often on paper were—
[Yun Ye]
[So bored]
For some reason, when she read these two words together, the distant person seemed to come alive. Staring at the absentminded scribbles, she laughed to herself.
Maybe he was also bored at home, perhaps thinking of her too, wanting to meet her.
Then one day, she received a call from Yun Ye—
"I'm in Nanwu."
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