How fast the time quickly passed by, Yixing wonders to himself, as he puts down the book he’s reading in the school library. He props his chin on his hand and looks at the old cherry tree just across the window. Its pink leaves detach from their branches as the gentle afternoon breeze kisses them away.

Once again, he finds himself remembering and missing Li Jiaheng, who meticulously and effortlessly found his way through Yixing’s series upon series of rebukes, retorts, and arguments, and the one person who has intelligently used his resources to barge into their house on the day of Christmas Eve.

Yixing smiles at the memory. If only I could go to Guangzhou…

It’s already the middle of spring and it feels like he hasn’t seen Jiaheng for a decade. Fortunately, they haven’t lost contact with each other and have kept on writing each other letters.

Yixing flips the pages of his own copy of Our Little Paradise, searching for the very first letter Jiaheng has sent him a week after celebrating Christmas. When a glint of white parchment paper comes to life, he slowly stems it out of the page and unfolds the slightly wrinkled paper as carefully as he could in fear that it would tear into pieces if he had been clumsy enough.

To his amusement, he reads the letter for the nth time.

Dear Xing,

My family and I have safely arrived here in Guangzhou. As usual, the people here are bustling with so much activity that my mind is starting to whirl. It makes me miss your peaceful town so much. Well, of course, I miss you too.

Thank you so much for that one of a kind Christmas present you’ve given me and my family. And thank you for that wonderful performance. I really fell in love with your piano. We have a piano at home but no one plays it. What a waste. Next time, you should come over our house and play the piano for me. Perhaps, on my birthday?

Yours truly,

Jiaheng

Yixing mildly laughs Jiaheng’s last line. You haven’t even told me when your birthday is.

*           *           *

It’s already the third of May, a Tuesday. Yixing excitedly opens the letter box to check if any letter addressed to him has arrived. To his disappointment, he finds no envelope tucked into the small metal box. He goes back inside the house with a disheartened disposition. Jiaheng’s letter arrives around eight in the morning every Tuesday.

Come on, Yixing! Maybe, the letterman is just late. You still have until afternoon.

How they are able to keep writing in a weekly basis is a mystery to Yixing because when he analyses everything, he and Jiaheng aren’t really the type of friends who’ve gotten close personally. They have settled with constantly updating each other with their lives and that means putting into account what has happened to them in an entire week.

He turns to seat on the piano bench on one corner of the living room and fingers the keys randomly and rather absentmindedly, the sounds coming out in perfect discord. Then, he sees the small treasure box his father gave him when he was only eight years old. He reaches out for it and opens the box.

Why does Jiaheng never fail to make him smile?

He takes out all the letters and read them one by one to pass some time.

One of the letters, dated 18 January 2004, reads:

Dear Xing,

Winter is a blast here. Even coats and mittens and earmuffs are not enough. I have asked my parents to buy me a fur coat for more warmth but they disregarded my ever ardent favour. Hahahah J You know how they advocate animal rights, don’t you?

School work is starting to kill me. I’ve got tons and tons of assignments, and in case you don’t know, I am really a stupid brat. Math and science, my . Fortunately, I’ve gotten straight A+’s in English. I’m quite satisfied at the fact that no one here can ever be on par with my perfect Canadian accent. *winking at you*

Also, there’s nothing more worth doing in school than playing basketball. This reminds me, we haven’t played basketball together. Even though you said you’re part of your school’s junior basketball team. When we’re already in high school, I wish we could play against each other in an interschool meet. And then, we’d have a showdown. I wonder who’s better between the two of us.

Yours truly,

Jiaheng

P.S.: I am a lady killer when I start reigning on the court.

Yixing stifles a laugh. Who’s a lady killer at the age of fourteen? And Jiaheng’s saying he’s a stupid brat? Where did that come from? How on earth was he able to learn the word humility? Yixing clicks his tongue, entertained at this crazy letter of Jiaheng’s. They both know that Jiaheng is an honors student and a valuable athlete. Who is he trying to kid?

Yixing picks another one, and this one dates back to 8 February 2004.

Dear Xing,

Valentine’s Day’s finally coming up and all the girls here are already dying to give their chocolates to me. Trust me, I walk along the corridors and the girls would look at me, giggle, and speak to each other in that annoying high-pitched voice. No, correction: THEY SQUEAK LIKE RATS. But my own awesome and fabulous self is, of course, in its perfect regaled state. I can almost sense myself shining, or glowing, or as if, I’m under this one and only spotlight that everyone could only see. Behold my greatness, Zhang Yixing.

How I wish you were with me. I’ve always wanted to be with someone on Valentine’s Day. You see, a lot of girls like me but I don’t like any of them. Because of that, boys at school hate me and bully me. Well, not really. I’m a fighter!

How about you? I wanna hear about your past Valentine’s Days.

Yours truly,

Jiaheng

Yixing remembers writing Jiaheng to disregard those pests. He is Li Jiaheng, Yixing’s stubborn friend. The one who always feels mighty and kingly. And he reminds Jiaheng that he is a strong man and that he will always be the most handsome man for Yixing. In his reply, Yixing said: Don’t get discouraged, Jiaheng. I’m always here for you.

Then, Yixing rewinds pieces of his past. He’s had Valentine’s Day, but every single year, it is as ordinary and dull as just any other day. He would receive homemade chocolates as well and he would politely accept them, but then that was it. He’s never been asked out by any girl before. He’s never had a fans’ club like what Jiaheng tells him he does. He’s never had anyone taking pictures of him anywhere he goes.

Jiaheng, on the other hand, claims that he has always been surrounded by cameras. Yixing has never asked him about and maybe he doesn’t ever want to because deep inside, he feels a prickling and stinging sensation in his heart.

*           *           *

Just around past five in the afternoon on that same Tuesday, the letterman arrives outside their front garden. Yixing sees him open his black bag and takes out a white envelope. His breathing temporarily put on hold, he runs to the letterman, and says excitedly, “Is that from Li Jiaheng?”

The letterman, now a friend of Yixing, nods his head. “You were worried you won’t get any, weren’t you?”

Yixing nods vigorously. “Of course. You usually deliver it in the morning.”

“Something came up,” the letterman says, squinting his eyes. “Here.”

The letterman hands the letter to Yixing who takes with trembling hands. He reads the words written at the back of the envelope and grins. “Thank you.”

“Until next week, I suppose?”

“Hmm.”

The letterman turns to leave, while Yixing runs through the flight of stairs, two steps at a time, and into his bedroom. He plunges into his bed, jumps, and laughs to himself. When he starts to pant, he lies down on his back and extends his arms, covering his eyes with Jiaheng’s letter from the bright light coming from the bulb in the ceiling. When he’s finally ready, he tears open the envelope and pulls the letter out of its paper case. The letter reads:

01 May 2004

Dear Xing,

You can’t believe it. I’ve got my first girlfriend! Oh, my god, Yixing. I wish you were here. I wish I could tell you in full detail how we got together. It was like what you read in your fairy tale stories. It’s like the one in Our Little Paradise!

Yixing, she’s like the girl of my dreams. I’ve told you about her, right? She’s Xu Minhua, if I need to remind you AGAIN. She’s beautiful and smart and athletic. We share almost the same likes and dislikes. She’s the school’s star swimmer, and she’d be participating in the Regional Tournament this upcoming summer.

And guess who’d be hosting that tournament? Yixing, it’s CHANGSHA!!! We’ll be there in Changsha this summer! I can’t wait to see you again. I want you to meet my girlfriend and I want you to know how amazing she is.

Yours truly,

Jiaheng

P.S.: I can’t wait for your reply.

Jiaheng is a master at breaking hearts. Whatever fervor and enthusiasm Yixing had a minute ago, it was completely gone now. He clutches at that part of his chest where his heart would be, as he feels the tears stinging the back of his eyes and threatening to explode at any moment like the water in a huge dam crashing through its feeble walls and finally out into bigger open water.

He slowly stands up and walks toward his study table. He gets a piece of stationery paper and with an uncontrollable shake of his hand, he picks out his most favourite ball pen—the striped blue ball pen with a fluffy ball attached to its apex. He starts to write Dear Jiaheng, but his tears fall untimely, leaving a huge teary blotch on the paper. He angrily crumples the paper and throws it behind his back. He gets another one, and the same thing happens. Over and over again. Until he realizes that he’s been sitting there for over three hours already.

Jiaheng has told him about this girl he fancies. Yixing has known almost all about her. Jiaheng has fed him details he has never wanted to know, but as a friend, and because he knows he loves Jiaheng, he has to support him even though it hurts him. He tells himself that he should be happy for Jiaheng, that his happiness is all that should matter to him when it involves the other boy. Yixing would usually find comfort in his principle, Love is selfless. It does not want for itself, it gives wholeheartedly.

For months, it has worked. But now, it doesn’t seem to. What has served to be his source of light and warmth has transformed into ice, freezing the blood that flows through his veins and leaving him dysfunctional.

Yixing has been crying his heart out, endlessly chanting Jiaheng’s name as if it held his dear life, until he falls asleep. His heart is exhausted and it wants to rest. For a while only, though, because he wakes up at four in the morning and gets to work.

Steeling himself, Yixing gets another set of stationery and places his hand in a writing position. His head is clearer now, but his heart is still broken, his emotions in sunken into poverty and chaos. With great effort, he starts to write:

Dear Jiaheng,

I am glad you have found the girl you think you could love your entire life. How I wish I’d been there to witness the unfolding of your love story. Without you having to tell me to do so, I would’ve recorded every single detail my eyes laid upon. I would’ve written about every even that transpired. I would’ve captured every moment you have with Minhua and immortalize it with these pictures. Would you rather have them in frames?

Yixing sniffs as his tears start to fall again. He lifts his head up and looks at the ceiling for a while.

I can’t sully this letter.

Then, he continues:

I’d be looking forward for summer. How I wish I could turn the time in fast forward mode with a remote like how I usually do when I want to skip a scene when I watch a film. And I’ve been dying to see you, too, Jiaheng. You don’t know how much I’ve missed you this entire time. I miss having you around, bossing me around, and treating me good all the while. You don’t know how much you mean to me. Whichever you choose, I want you to know that you’ll always have me by your side and that I’ve always got your back. Like what you said, We are partners in crime. Wherever you go, I will be there too. Congratulations, Li Jiaheng.

Yours Truly,

Yixing

P.S.: You don’t know how much I’m feeling right now—OVERWHELMED.

*           *           *

A week later Yixing finds himself waiting for the letterman forlornly at their doorstep. The sun sets down and he receives no news from Jiaheng. The week after that, he waits again but he gets still nothing.

Spring passes. Summer arrives. As promised, Yixing attends the Regional Tournament for Swimming Women’s Category and searches for a girl named Xu Minhua. He’s wanted to ask her where Jiaheng is and how he is doing now. Much to his dismay, he finds out that Minhua is sick and that her substitute would be the one playing in her stead.

Summer passes. Autumn comes, then winter.

It’s been more than a year, and Yixing has never heard from Jiaheng again.

[A/N: Hi, guys!!! I've updated as promised. Aww.. WORD COUNT IS 2,324. Honestly, I didn't plan this chapter to be this long. I just got carried away. And I don't even know how I made the second half of this into ANGST. I've wanted this story to be fluffy and comedic, but I guess you would have to expect this would be a mixture of fluff and angst. I'll try to put it more comedy later, though. HAHAHAHAH XD

For those who are first timers here, please do subscribe, upvote, and leave comments as you go along. Thank you all for supporting this fic. Saranghae yo~ <3

P.S.: You gonna watch SBS Gayo Daejun later??? Ooh, can't wait for that!!!