(Play this for the soundtrack)

Love doesn’t know time; it can be short-lived, it can last

Love doesn’t know how; be it romantic love between a girl and a boy or a pure love between a mother and a daughter

Love doesn’t know who; all it ever knows is to bring two souls together

And love, doesn’t know endings; it never promised either a happy or sad one

It just knows how to be a part of a person’s life

________________________________________________________________

Meili wakes up to the sound of Xue blabbing in his baby crib.

She then realizes that she had fallen asleep on the couch. She was supposed to take a shower, pack some of Yifan’s clothes, and then gets back to the hospital with Xue. But as soon as she got home, she sat on the couch and maybe it was all the exhaustion from the past three weeks that had made her gives up on staying awake. She checks her wristwatch; it’s still six in the evening. She has been sleeping for like forty five minutes.

There’s this weird feeling inside her chest, recalling that she indeed had dreamed about her past during her sleep, and it was centered to Yifan. She recalls her dream about meeting Yifan, growing up with Yifan, and even some of crazy things he ever did with her. She doesn’t dream often in her sleep, and surely she never really dreamed about a particular someone.

Shrugging it off, she ruffled Xue’s soft baby locks. “Mama will go packing, okay? Then we’ll take a bath together. Stay here and be a good dude.” she pinches her son’s cheek, laughs in satisfaction as Xue automatically frowns at the pain, before she retreats and goes upstairs, straight to the bedroom she shares with her husband. It has been so empty without Yifan around.

Just when she was about to grab the suitcase from the walk-in closet, she notices an unfamiliar box on the bed. Whoa, someone put a bomb in my bedroom? she shudders as she takes the box, then frown when she realizes that it’s very light. She shakes it, listening to the faint sound of something inside. She opens it only to find a piece of paper.

“What the,” she mumbles as she takes the paper, tosses the box back on the bed and read the words written out loud. “Happy twenty first birthday, my beautiful grumpy wife.”

She then gasps. Yifan has been hospitalized for three weeks and never comes out since then. He must’ve asked someone to put the box on their birthday date. “I have prepared a gift for you, but it’s not in the house.” she continues reading. “You have to go to in-law’s house and meet them for the last instruction. Love you. What the heck?” she grunts. Now she has to go to her parents’ house first before the hospital.

Grumpily, as always, she packs Yifan’s and her clothes before she takes a quick bath with her son. She literally throws the suitcases into the backseat before she puts Xue on the baby car seat, slips behind the wheel, and drives to her parents.

“Oh, you’re here!” her mom greets her first with a hug. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

“Thank you.” she grins. “Now I believe Yifan had left something for me to know.”

“Oh, right! It’s at the backyard.” her mom chuckles when she groans. “You know he’s a man of surprises and events. I have to say once again, xiao Mei, I really wish your baba is so romantic like him.”

Meili rolls her eyes. “Then I’d rather have a husband like baba instead. If death by fluff overdose is possible then I would’ve died since a long time ago. Anyway can you watch Xue while I’m at the backyard?”

“But me and your baba are going to leave for a dinner by now. I’m sorry sweetheart, I’ll get Shan to watch over him.” her mom says as she strides away from her daughter to greet her grandson.

Narrowing her eyes, Meili notices her dad is already walking down the stairs. He greets her with a hug too. “Happy birthday, xiao Mei.”

“I’m the birthday girl, yet you guys are the one who’s having dinner instead. What kind of parents are you?!” she groans.

“A kind of parents who had created you, young lady. Now excuse us.” her mom waves her hand as they walk out of the house. She shook her head in disbelief before she leaves to the backyard.

It’s dark when she arrives. The only source of light is a candle on a small table in the middle of the backyard. She quickly reaches for the table, and groans once more when she finds another piece of paper again. It’s folded in a heart shape (which makes her admires it for like fifteen seconds) and something is also written on it. “Press the switch before you open this. What?” she mumbles as she searches for the said ‘switch’. She finds it on the table too.

And when she presses it, the magic appears.

It’s suddenly bright, very bright, at the backyard. She immediately looks up, only to find dozens of small light bulbs shining brightly, attached to black wires that were stretched from each edge of the rooftop that surrounded the backyard. They create a perfect image of stars scattered on the night sky. She’s so mesmerized by it that she almost didn’t hear her son squealing from inside of the house.

Yep, Wu Yifan, the man of surprises, she grins, not the most original but still managed to leave me awestruck.

She then remembers to open the folded paper. She unfolds it desperately, finding it to be a letter. Instead of reading it out loud, she stares at the words, reads it by heart, and by the last word, she breaks down on the ground, pressing the letter to her chest, right where her heart beats.

Suddenly it hits her that she’s afraid of everything; of losing him.

===

January, 2005

She watched as Yifan conversed with both her parents. Her dad was purely amused of the fact that he met the son of his old friend, while her mom was beyond ecstatic because ‘finally Meili have a friend in this neighborhood, and a handsome one, I might add!’.

Yep, it was the day when she found out that the new neighbor who had disturbed her sleep in the morning was none other than Yifan himself. Said guy moved out of his family house because it felt so empty since his older brother went to America for his college and his father was nowhere as usual, probably in Canada, or even Japan. And she wasn’t brave enough to ask, but it seemed like Yifan had purposely picked the house in her neighborhood to show up again in her life after being separated from her for two months without any communication, judging by the victorious smirk he had offered to her when she gasped out of shock upon his appearance before her front door.

And not to mention that she just found that Yifan was the son of the owner of the biggest mall in the city. She kind of immediately noted to lure Yifan to give all the plushies in her favorite shop in the mall to her.

“It’s a shame that your father doesn’t live with you,” his dad had said, “I haven’t seen him in ages.”

“Yeah, me too.” Yifan murmured unconsciously.

Her mom laughed awkwardly as she ushered everyone to the kitchen. “We should have breakfast first, and then we’d see what we can help with your settlements, Yifan.”

“Oh, no, ma’am, thank you so much for your concern, but I think Aunt Gui won’t like it if someone interferes with her job, not even me.” Yifan laughed. “Which is practically why she shooed me out to give this pie to you. She doesn’t want me around for a while.”

She winced when her mom laughed cheerily. Woman must’ve found the boy amusing for her. God knows how much she wanted a son too; practically why she’s very fond of her cousin. “Then after breakfast, you can go around with Meili. She’d show you around the neighborhood. Right, sweetie?”

Meili offered the creepiest sweetest smile to her mom and Yifan. “With my pleasure, mama.”

“Jerk.”

“Grumpy.”

“Liar.”

“… grumpy.”

Meili kicked a small mount of snow on the pavement towards the guy next to her. “I hate you.” she grunted as she fastened her steps so she could be in front of him. They had been walking only around six meters from her house, bundled up in puffy jackets and fluffy scarves. Her nose was already red from the cold, and she was still mad at Yifan, but the sight of snow graciously floating on the air never failed to soothe her heart.

“Come on, I already said I’m sorry.” Yifan pleaded once more.

“You’ve promised to send me letters, Yifan ge.” Meili spelled his name with so much sarcasm. “You’ve promised and you broke it.”

“I lost your address, I swear! I would’ve sent you thousands of letters if only I still have your address with me.”

She scoffed. “What a smooth talker.”

“I’m sorry, okay?”

“I still hate you, though.”

“What do I have to do to make you fond of me again?”

She halted her steps, thinking for a while before she turned around to face him. “You remember the cake we bought back on our birthday?”

“Yes…?”

“Buy me that cake again.”

Yifan stared at the girl in amusement. “You’ve ate like, three plates, this morning, yet you still want to eat cake?”

“I didn’t say I’m going to eat it right away. Just buy me that. Pwease??” she scooted closer to him and made the best puppy eyes she could. “Pwease pwease pwease? It was really good I couldn’t stop dreaming about it!”

He laughed wholeheartedly (and she had to admit he’s more handsome when he laughs) before he ruffled her hair affectionately, messing her locks (and her heartbeat). “Are you even allowed to go out?”

“Duh, my mom will agree right away if you’re the one to ask.”

“Then let’s try.”

It was the first of many sudden dates they’re going to have as they grow up.

===

July, 2007

“I don’t know anymore.” the stern look on Meili’s face was enough to shut him up. “You do realize that you have a weak heart. You do remember Dr. Zhang forbid you from any vigorous activities like this. Yet you joined the basketball team, only to pass out after your first game. I don’t know what to do with you anymore, seriously.”

Yifan chose to lie on another side on the hospital bed, his back facing the still fuming Meili. She has been giving him that mad and disappointed look on him ever since he was rushed to the hospital. Sighing heavily, he tried to close his eyes.

Ever since the new school year started, he had joined the basketball team in his school, and because of his natural talent in that sport and his height, they had made him their ace card. Meili was beyond furious when she found out, but after endless promises that he’d be alright and the proof that he was indeed alright during all the practices which she had put her eyes on, Meili silenced herself eventually. She was also assured by Yifan’s close friends, Han and Minseok (the Korean exchange student in their class), that they will keep their eyes on Yifan during their activities in the basketball team.

Then the game came, and with all the dreads inside her heart, she forced herself to come. No matter how much she hated the activity that endangered Yifan, she still has to support him. And she wouldn’t have been so tolerating if it wasn’t for the way Yifan’s eyes sparkled after he had successfully shot a ball into the ring. The game went nice, more than she had expected. Yifan was so determined to win; in fact, all the people in his team were. Even Han was being manly with the ball despite his pretty face. In the end, Yifan’s team won, and said guy was beyond ecstatic to show off the trophy to her.

He was about to grab the trophy when he suddenly crouched down, clutching on his chest, and out.

“I didn’t have the heart to tell you this when I found out you joined the team, Yifan, but I’ve been desperate to tell you that this was what will happen if you don’t care of your own health. This was what will happen if you keep doing something you know you shouldn’t be doing. And ta-dah, it has happened already!” Meili spat out with so much sarcasm.

After the deafening silence, Yifan spoke up for the very first time since he woke up from the black out. “You don’t understand.”

Meili held her breath.

“You don’t understand,” he continued with a strained voice, “how it feels when you realize that you’re weaker than anyone else around you. You don’t understand how it feels when you see people around your age play and do fun things while you have to sit back because those fun things might drain you out. You don’t understand how it feels to hold yourself back every time you see other people doing the thing you’ve been wanting to do so much. You don’t understand… how it feels to find yourself pitiably different from the others. It , Huang Meili. It to be one step behind everyone else.”

Even without looking at Yifan in the eyes, Meili could tell that the latter was hurting. It was when she realized that Yifan was terribly hurting. She had failed to see the pain in his eyes because he was always that cool gege who picks on her and laughs at her jokes, who would always talk about his condition like it’s common. Yifan had been covering his feelings so well, and she hated herself for not seeing anything sooner.

She walked to the other side of the bed, biting her lips when she saw how pained Yifan looked. She pulled a chair with her and sat right before him. Taciturnly, she brought her hand up and reached for Yifan’s much bigger one, making the latter flinch as she circled her fingers around his clammy ones.

“You’re right. I don’t understand.” she whispered. “I wish I do, but I don’t.”

Yifan looked up at her.

“But that doesn’t mean that I don’t worry about you.” Meili’s eyes softened at him. “I know it’s only you who know what you feel inside your body, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying whether your chest is hurting or not, whether you’re feeling well enough to walk me to school or you’re not feeling well yet you still walk with me because you’d feel bad if you don’t. I can only ask if you’re alright, I couldn’t tell if you’re really alright when you said yes or if you’re just joking when you said no. So please, Yifan,” she stopped when Yifan detached his hand from hers, only to bring it up before her face, and that was when she realizes that tears were in the verge of falling from her eyes, “please don’t think of me like any of your friends, because I really care about you. They ask you if you’re alright out of habit, while I ask you if you’re alright because I really worry. They won’t think of you once they’re out of school, while I wonder all the time if you had taken your meds or not yet. Please don’t shut me out like you do to them. I’m here for you, and you should let me be here for you. Let me be the one to know everything you feel, Yifan. Let me be the one to take care of you.”

Yifan slowly sat up right before her and put a hand on her left cheek. A whole minute of silence passed with Meili’s flustered stare and Yifan’s intense one. “Do you like me, Huang Meili?”

She gasped out of shock. “What the hell?? Do you really have to ask about that when – “

“Do you like me, Huang Meili?” the serious look on Yifan’s face only made her own heart to beat faster.

“What… do you mean?” she whispered.

“I’ll let you be here for me. I’ll let you be the one to know everything I feel, the one to take care of me. But,” Yifan scoots closer, “you have to answer honestly first. Do you like me?”

“Of course I like you; I wouldn’t be here if I don’t.”

“Not that kind of like, Huang Meili.” he sighed desperately.

Meili was out of proper words as Yifan kept staring at her so intensely. “I’m… still fourteen,” she slowly whispered, “I don’t think… it’s the time for me to feel that kind of like to you.”

She swore she saw Yifan rolled his eyes. “I was fourteen when I fell for you.”

“P-pardon me??”

“I thought I was crazy, crushing on a little girl,” he smiled softly, “but as I realize that as I grow up the little girl will be a young lady too, I kept my feeling inside and planned that someday when I felt like it’s the right time, I’d tell her how much I like her.”

I like you too, idiot!!! “I… I…”

“It’s fine. I’ll wait,” the soft smile turned into a smirk, “until you feel it’s the time for you to feel that kind of like to me.”

“Would you still like me when the time comes?” she asked unconsciously.

Yifan grinned. “No.”

She frowned at him.

“By then, I would love you already.”

It was the first time for her to have a boy kissing her forehead.

===

May, 2009

It was Zitao’s sixteenth birthday, and the Huang household was busy preparing the dinner. It was intended to be a small party, only for family and close friends. Commonly someone would have a group of close friends around his age, but Zitao’s group consists of six guys with a quite huge range of age difference. There were even two Koreans in it; one was Minseok and the other one was Yixing’s friend in the music club in school, Kim Jongdae. Han, Yifan and Minseok were in the same age, Yixing (Dr. Zhang’s son) was one year younger than them, Jongdae was one year younger than Yixing, and Zitao was the youngest among them, being one year younger than Jongdae.

Meili was busy preparing the icing for Zitao’s birthday cake when she saw the said boy running across the house with his wood stick as he yelled for his geges to follow him. Jongdae was trailing behind him, Yifan and Minseok looked forced as they followed suit. Meili laughed in amusement.

“You’re not going to see your cousin showing off his wushu?” Han’s voice came around. She found the guy was already next to her, along with Yixing.

She giggled as she turned around; she could see Zitao and the rest through the huge window in the kitchen. “Nah, I don’t want to get hit.” she mumbled, watching Jongdae laughed his off as the wood stick flew away from Zitao’s hand, and then doubled his laughter when they realized that it had hit Minseok’s head. Even Yifan was laughing like a maniac next to the horrified Zitao.

Yixing offered to help with the icing while Han busied himself tasting it. “How’s Yifan now?” Han asked her quietly. With that, Meili smiled bitterly.

Two months before, Yifan refused to continue all his therapy sessions. Meili had a real hard time in dealing with the guy, but finally her attempts of persuading him into talking to her had fruited into one conclusion; Yifan was scared of everything. Han and Minseok got scholarships for one of the prestigious university in Beijing because of their remarkable work in the school’s soccer team (they dropped out of basketball team when Yifan did so), while Yixing was already confirmed to start his college in the famous music school. It seemed like everyone was having their own way to make their dreams come true, but there he was, sitting on his spot, going nowhere.

Meili had realized since years ago, that those insecurities will never leave him. It will always haunt him like a nightmare. Thus she tried her best to prevent those nightmares from tolling on him too much. After a lot of persuasions, fights, tears, and heart-to-heart talks, finally Yifan agreed to continue the sessions again.

“Well, as you can see, he’s getting better.” Meili said. “I can say the therapy works on him. He’s trying his best to heal.”

“Yeah, I noticed it too. He seems livelier lately, you know.” Yixing commented.

Meili had smiled unconsciously. “He really wants to get better so he could play basketball again.”

“Are you sure it’s not you instead?” Han smirked.

“Huh?”

“He wants to be better because of you, Meili.” Han spoke again.

She narrowed her eyes. “Why would he want to get better because of me?”

Han and Yixing only exchanged a knowing look with each other before they smoothly brought the conversation to another topic.

“Mei mei, are you done?” Zitao’s voice sounded excited outside her door.

“I’m done!” she said as she smoothened the hem of her casual baby pink dress. Her hair was braided at the side. Spinning once more in front of the mirror, she giggled before she walked away and opened the door.

Zitao’s jaw slightly fell as he welcomed the sight of his same-age cousin beaming at him. “Whoa, mei mei, you look so pretty!!” he exclaimed. “Pretty people deserve to be in my party!”

“Of course I deserve to be in your party; I made your cake, you ungrateful boy!” she snorted. “ me, servant.”

“With pleasure, Madame.” Zitao grinned as he offered his arm to her. She took it gladly and they both walked down the stairs. Apparently Yifan was already waiting at the end of the steps, tapping his feet against the tiles out of habit.

She couldn’t tell what was in Yifan’s eyes when he looked up and saw her. All she knew was that Yifan was reaching his hand out for her to take, and as she did, Zitao immediately scurried away saying ‘don’t be too long, lovebirds’.

“You’re beautiful tonight.” he had whispered to her.

“So I haven’t been beautiful before this?”

Yifan cocked his head, mischievous smirk on his lips. “Nah. You were ugly.”

“I really want to kick you on the balls.”

“Anyway,” Yifan ignored her tantrum, “I realize that there’s something I supposed to tell you yet I haven’t. So I’m going to say it now and it is…” he looked down before he met her eyes again, “thank you.”

Meili gazed up at him.

“Thank you, for everything. For assuring me that… that I won’t be left alone. For assuring me that my life still goes on even though it’s not going to be flashy like Han’s, or Minseok’s, or Yixing’s. And for assuring me,” Yifan brought her hand before his hand and gently kissed her knuckles, “that you’ll always be there with me.”

There was a deafening silence between them, but the sound of her heart madly beating rang in her ears. She was sure that it was going to burst out of her chest.

“It might sound cheesy, but,” Yifan continued again, “you are technically the only reason I’ve been putting up with my life, Huang Meili.”

‘He wants to be better because of you, Meili.’

“But… but I’m not the only one who cares about you, you know.” she tried her best to speak normally despite her panicking state. “There are the boys, especially Zitao, you can’t detach him off your arm. And… and my parents too, they already love you more than they love me, I guess. And also Zitao’s parents. And Aunt Gui who had taken care of you since you were kid. And Yixing’s dad too. I mean… you want to get better because of those who care about you, right?”

Please just say I’m right and have mercy on my poor heart, Wu Yifan.

“Yeah, right.” Yifan smirked. “But among them, you’re the only one I can marry.”

That time, she didn’t realize that sometimes Yifan plans on something way long before the due date.

===

November, 2011

It was actually not surprising for Meili that her mom practically agreed to every word Yifan said and allowed everything Yifan asked her permission for. But she just didn’t think she’d let him to take her only daughter (and only child, mind you) out at 11.15 PM. Even her dad who has always been strict about night hours and stuffs only chuckled when she stared at both of them in disbelief with Yifan literally dragging her out of the house.

Seriously, who would go out at such an hour in such weather?? It was the transition from autumn to winter, for God’s sake, and she was close to freezing if not for Yifan’s big and warm hand guiding her through the sidewalk.

“Where the hell are we going?!” she asked for the nth time.

“Sssh.” was all Yifan said to her before he shoved her into the front seat of his car before he occupied the wheel and drove into the empty streets of the neighborhood.

“Uh, okay, I know you’re crazy and I know you have a of sudden dates, but dude,” Meili sighed as she pointed towards the town’s most famous amusement park, “the place’s closed. The rides are off. Sorry but today’s not your luck.”

She watched Yifan cockily walked towards the ‘closed’ sign, and in one swift motion detached it off the gate. To her surprise, the chains weren’t locked, and as Yifan opened the gates and reached a hand towards her, she could only take the hand in confusion and let Yifan lead her in.

“You don’t really forget that this amusement park belongs to my dad’s company group, right?” Yifan said casually.

Meili grunted. Of course, Wu Group owns at least one product or object in every possible kind of business; the amusement park being one of them. “Rich jerk.” she rolled her eyes when Yifan replied with a mocking ‘thanks’. “Seriously, it’s pretty dark here, and you know how much I hate darkness. Can we just go back? What are we going to do here anyway? You’re not going to me, right? Oh God, did my parents just gave you the permission to their only child?!?!”

“Stay here.” was all Yifan replied to her with.

“W-what?!” she shrieked. “You’re not being serious aren’t – Wu Yifan where are you going?!?!” she yelled as he really left her right before the merry-go-round. She likes merry-go-round but the horses seemed creepy in the dark. “Wu Yifaaann~” she whined. “Come back here you jackass – “

Just like that, the lights were on. The entire rides in the place were brought to life again, and the horses started to move. She almost forgot to bring her jaw back upwards as she spun around, admiring how she was surrounded in the middle of sea of bright lights. She giggled, feeling like a five years old little girl again, being so excited when her dad brought her to the place for the first time.

When she faced the merry-go-round again, she found the horses were in halt and Yifan was standing in front of her, holding something on his hand. “You know, this is not the most original idea of surprising a lady – wait, is that Rilakkuma?!?!” she pointed at the thing on Yifan’s hand that turned out to be a cake shaped in Rilakkuma’s head with two lighten-up candles on it. “You ruined its face!!”

“Happy birthday.” Yifan grinned.

Meili couldn’t even stop her lips from creating a wide smile. “Happy birthday to you too!”

“This is mine to blow,” Yifan nudged his chin towards the blue candle, “and this is yours.” he nudged towards the pink one.

“Let me count!!” she squealed. “One, two, three!” both of them blew the candles. “Is the cake good, though?”

“It’s technically your favorite chocolate cake shaped in Rilakkuma’s head.” Yifan shrugged, and Meili shrieked in joy.

Yifan called for his assistant (which presence had shocked Meili the most) to bring the table and chairs for them. “You know, Yifan, you outdid yourself this year. You never celebrated our birthdays like this.” she gestured at everything around her. “This feels super duper special.”

“Well,” Yifan gestured her to sit when the chair finally arrived, “because this year is indeed special.”

She frowned, watching Yifan taking his own seat across her. “Is there something I missed out?”

With a mischievous smirk, Yifan leaned forward, propping his head with one arm on the table. “You do remember my promise, right?”

“… which one? That ‘I will be an idol and you’ll beg for my autograph’ one? Or ‘I will be an artist that even Picasso will take his hats off for me’ one?”

“No.” Yifan shook his head, the smirk stayed on his lips. “That ‘I will wait until you feel it’s the time for you to feel that kind of like to me’ one.”

Meili almost gasped loudly. Crap, it’s the time, crap!! she roared inside as she watched Yifan cut the cake at placed it on the plate.

“And I think this year, the lady I’ve promised to has come to the age where she could feel that kind of like towards a man without being confused about it. So, let’s get to the point,” Yifan offered the plate to her, “do you like me now, that kind of like, Huang Meili?”

She accepted the plate with trembling hands, heart leaping when her fingers brushed with his. “Do you… still even like me?”

“Psh. No.” Yifan chuckled. “If I remember correctly, I already told you that time that by now, I would love you already.”

Meili knew she was practically gaping towards his blunt confession.

“So, do you feel that kind of like towards me now?”

Taciturnly, Meili pushed the plate gently away from her. “No, Yifan.” she mumbled carefully. “I… I don’t like you that way.”

It was Yifan’s turn to stare at her in disbelief.

“I think I never liked you that way. I mean, when we started our friendship, I was growing fonder of you day by day. And when you indirectly told me that you like me, I was confused of myself, because as I told you, it wasn’t the time for me to feel those kind of feelings.” she kept talking without looking at him. “But when you asked me just now, I came to realize that I never like you that way.”

When she looked up, Yifan’s face had shown hurt and betrayed look. She swore she saw his eyes glistening, but she was beyond desperate to let out the words that she had kept inside her heart for so long because of her own stupid insecurities. “I realize I never like you that way,” she offered a warm smile, “because one morning I woke up, you were already sitting on the bed next to me saying something about a whole day plan for my sixteenth and your nineteenth birthday, and that moment it finally hits me hard on the head that I’m in love with you. I don’t know how, I just know that I’m so madly in love with you. I had thought that maybe it was just a delusion because I’ve been used to your presence to the point where I can’t be without you anymore, but as I keep thinking about it all over again, I can’t find any right word to describe what I feel for you aside of ‘love’.”

She took a piece of the cake and brought it before Yifan’s lips. “And when I saw you standing with this cake before the merry-go-round, I thought that yep, after two years of being dramatic all by myself, I’m brave to finally admit that I love that man holding the coolest birthday cake I’ve ever seen in my whole life.” she smiled again. “So, I’m very sorry to say that I don’t like you that way, Yifan.”

The hurt on Yifan’s face had washed away, replaced by shock. And as speechless as he was, Yifan wordlessly grabbed the fork and placed it somewhere on the table before he stood up and dragged Meili with him. He shouted something in English to his assistant and climbed the steps to the merry-go-round.

“You surely know my favorite ride.” she mumbled as Yifan helped her to climb on a horse’s back. “But why am back facing the head?” she frowned at him as she held onto the pole in the middle of its body.

Yifan occupied the space before her, facing the pole too. “First, you have no favorite ride; you practically stuck yourself to that doll machine everytime we come here. And second,” he scooted closer, “I need to make you sit like this so I can ask another question to you.”

“I’ll answer if you promise me this thing won’t move.” she threatened. Yifan sighed heavily before he shouted again to his assistant in English. “Done?” she asked, eyebrow quirked. He desperately nodded. “Go and ask, rich jerk.”

“Do you love me then, Huang Meili?” she giggled because Yifan asked the obvious.

“No.” she laughed like a maniac when Yifan’s face fell again. “Oh God you should’ve seen your face. Yes, Wu Yifan, I am sure I made it clear with my lame confession just now.”

“Good then,” Yifan scooted closer to her, “because you just saved a lot of time I’m going to use in making you fall in love with me.”

Meili cocked her head, amused smile on her lips. “You’ve done it without knowing. Cool.”

They fell into silence, a comfortable one, spending the seconds with staring at each other’s face. “Good thing I’ve done a lot of therapies,” Yifan whispered, “because if I haven’t, then probably my heart couldn’t keep up with its own beat when I do what I’m going to do.”

“What are you going to do anyway?” she asked, voice as soft as wind.

“Promise me you won’t freak out?” he asked back.

She dramatically gasped. “You’re going to me, aren’t you?”

“Is my face really that creepy?” Yifan chuckled when she laughed. “No. I’m going to kiss you.”

It was a little bit bizarre since it was both their first kiss, and it wasn’t really an open-mouthed one, the air was getting colder, there was a pole between them, and they were sure Yifan’s assistant were busy looking at somewhere else out of awkwardness.

But as the start of their official relationship as a couple, it was more than perfect.

(The kiss, after all, was the first of many of the upcoming rest; intended and stolen ones.)

(And also the beginning of many, many other new things they’d experience after that.)

===

August, 2012

Meili recalled the first time she had to usher Yifan to the hospital.

It was around the first year of middle school, also Yifan’s first year in high school. There were four of them – herself, Yifan, Yixing and Zitao. They were strolling around the neighborhood, it was spring, and Zitao was busy pointing at the blooms on the tree at the side of the street with Yixing holding the kid from walking too far when she noticed that Yifan was clutching on his chest.

‘What’s wrong?’ she had asked.

Yifan had dismissed her worried frown with a chuckle. ‘Nothing.’

And then the word didn’t seem promising anymore when suddenly Yifan crouched down on the sidewalk, startling both her and Zitao. ‘Yifan ge?? Yifan ge are you alright??’ Zitao had asked. Yixing remained collected although worry was painted all over his face. He immediately took the almost fainted Yifan in his arms and looked at her, ‘go tell your mom that we need to bring him to hospital, you can do it, xiao mei mei?’ the serious look on Yixing’s face told her that it was a dangerous situation, and it had forced her to play adult. Meili immediately ran back to her house and practically begged her mom to take them to the hospital.

Yifan had woken up at the next day. Yixing’s dad, Dr. Zhang, had spent thirty minutes scolding him for being reckless about his medicines and activities. Old man also had scolded Yixing for not watching over his friend well. That was when Meili had vowed to herself that she would help Yixing in taking care of Yifan, since the boy only have her and his friend to worry (he didn’t have the heart to make Aunt Gui worry about him all the time). After that, Meili cried without knowing why, she just felt like it, and repeated all over again to Yifan ‘don’t you ever do that again and scare me again!!’. Yifan had chuckled upon her, ruffling her hair and promised that he’d never scare her like that again.

The promise was broken around four months later, and a few months later after that, and again and again through the years. Meili had grown from panicking to scolding him. Dr. Zhang didn’t say anything to her and Yixing anymore; he said the seizures were inevitable anyway. All they have to do is to be there for Yifan when it occurs.

But when Yifan had started his therapy, he never had a seizure like before. Some minor attacks were still inevitable, but he never fainted anymore. Meili was so happy for the fact that Yifan was getting better and better, and Yixing was more than ecstatic for the fact that he won’t be blamed again for something he couldn’t even prevent.

So it practically explains why Meili went back to panicking state when suddenly Yifan crouched down onto the floor, in the middle of the shopping mall. “Y-yifan?? Hey, what’s wrong?? Does it hurt again??”

Yifan only managed to nod. Not wasting any time, she called ambulance and asked for the help of some workers from the clothing store to bring Yifan to the nearest bench.

Like a déjà vu itself, Yifan woke up at the next day. Instead of scolding or saying anything to her, Dr. Zhang looked for her parents instead. She guessed it was something about trying to make Yifan’s dad come back and see his son. Dr. Zhang, her dad, and Yifan’s dad Wu Zilong turned to be old best friends before they went to separate paths because of their jobs. And if even the free-minded Dr. Zhang considered about forcing Mr. Wu to come back, it means that something serious was happening to Yifan. She didn’t know what, but she had the feeling that it was bad, like, really bad.

After talking to Yifan’s older brother Chun (who she doesn’t meet that often but was still close to because of their daily conversations regarding Yifan), Meili decided to check on Yifan and sit next to the hospital bed. She took his hand, still amazed by how it seemed twice her own. She noticed Yifan had been staring at her with that intense, unreadable look. She stared back, not finding anything proper to say. Yifan already knew she was so worried, and she already knew he was saying sorry through his eyes.

“You know,” Yifan whispered, “that feeling when you think you’re going to die, that moment when you think that ‘this is it, my end is here’?”

Meili didn’t answer to that.

“I always feel that everytime I faint.” he stared over the ceiling. “And everytime I feel that, your face will show up. It’s like, I know I’m going to die and leave a lot of things but you’re the only one I care about for it. So, when I wake up again and see you next to me, I’d thank God for the second chance and be reminded again about how much I love you, and I’d promise myself to be better, so I won’t have to see you worry over me anymore.”

She noticed how his grip on her hand was tightened.

“But this morning, when I open my eyes and saw you standing by the window, there was something new that came across my mind.”

“You finally realize that I’m ugly?” she chuckled.

But Yifan didn’t, and suddenly it scared her of how serious the talk was. “I finally realize that I’ve been selfish.”

Meili looked up at him.

“I’ve been so selfish. Really selfish.” he sighed. “You… you’re a really beautiful girl, Huang Meili, inside and outside. Every man around you must at least have one time when they were attracted to you. Mine lasted, and I tell you, if only I was never around, Han would’ve harbored his feelings for you more. You’re so beautiful, so kind, so smart, so loved,” he shifted his gaze at her, “and yet you have to be stuck here with me.”

Somehow she could sense where the talk is going to. “I’m sure it’s not about praises right now, Yifan. What is it?”

“You’re stuck here with me. You could’ve been with someone else, someone like Han, someone nice who won’t worry you with medicines and heart seizures, someone who’s healthy enough to participate in sports like basketball and soccer and appears cool with that, someone – “

“Stop.”

“ – who can promise you a long future, a complete family, someone who can be a hard working husband and a cool father to your child. Someone who can love you for a very long time. Someone you can grow old with. Yet you’re… stuck with me.”

“What are you saying?” she only realized she has been crying when she heard her own voice shaking.

“I can’t be that man, Meili.” Yifan sounded so broken, so desperate, so lost. “I will never be completely better. Dr. Zhang told me – don’t tell him I told you – that I’m going to need a surgery. If the surgery doesn’t work, then I’m going to need a heart transplant. Do you understand? Even if the surgery succeeded, I’d still be weak like before. I’d still have seizures. I can’t work for hours in the office because it will make my heart worse. I can’t play run and chase with our son or daughter because it will overwork my heart and lead to another seizure. I can’t… I can’t give the life you deserve if you stay with me, Meili. There’s no happy ending for us. There’s no happy ending you deserve if you stay with me.”

“What are you saying, Yifan, what are you saying?” she gave up in holding back her sobs. Yifan was already crying too, so the hell.

“Let’s… break up.” Yifan didn’t look at her in the eye when he said the words. “I’m letting you free, Huang Meili. I’m letting you to find happiness that could last. I’m letting you to… find another man, someone healthy, someone who could give the life you deserve. Someone like Han. Or even Yixing.” he forced himself to chuckle. “But well I have to know that man first, I need to make sure he’s not a jerk.”

She looked up at him. “Like you?”

Yifan blinked at her.

“You’ve been saying all those things, as if you’re some kind of hero, saving me from being stuck here with you. Aren’t you just selfish? Did you even think about my feelings when you said that?? Does saying that you’re letting me go making you a hero in my life, Wu Yifan?” she gritted her teeth. “You’re right, you’re so selfish. You only think of everything from your own perspective. You didn’t even bother to ask what I really feel about it. Then yes, let’s break up. Let’s see what you’d have from that. Let’s see how you feel when everything’s in your favor.” she stood up abruptly, almost kicking the chair in process. “I’m no one to you by now, anyway.”

She was crying, she knew Yifan was crying too by the muffled sobs she heard through her own outside the door, but she just couldn’t go back and hug him, not when both of them were hurting.

It was her very first heartbreak.

(The first of many, actually.)

===

February, 2013

Meili stared down at a piece of paper on her hand, a list of things scribbled down on it. She giggled as she reads them one by one.

‘1. Ask mom and dad’s permission’

She remembered how her mom was beyond stressed about her wish. She had recited a lot of consequences she’d face if she insisted on having her wish granted. ‘You’d be a widow in the end, you know it!’. She kept on insisting, and it was her dad who had persuaded her mom to agree. There, Mr. Huang, always full of surprises.

‘2. Meet Yifan’s dad and ask permission’

Wu Xiaolong was surprisingly a very warm and kind-hearted man, which practically explained where Chun and Yifan’s friendly personality came from. She had imagined him to be a jerk and cold all the time, but said man was far away from that (he even went all out about his old days with her dad and Dr. Zhang). She swore she saw tears on the man’s eyes when he agreed to her wish. Somehow she could tell that the man was beyond happy and also sorry for her and his son. And he promised to be there too. It was more than perfect for her.

‘3. Discuss with Dr. Zhang’

The man was more than willing to help her with her wish. They had talked about Yifan’s health, and fortunately, since the surgery last year was successful, Yifan was in a whole better condition. Although he needed to be monitored since his heart’s condition has the high rate of worsening, Yifan was in a stable state (although his mind wasn’t). Dr. Zhang practically begged her to make Yifan stop looking like a zombie, and she laughed wholeheartedly. ‘But he always looks like a zombie, shushu!’ she exclaimed, only to earn a smack on the head from the man after.

‘4. Plan the whole party with the boys and Aunt Gui’

In fact, Aunt Gui and the boys were more helpful than she had thought. They were like professional event organizers for small parties. After all she wanted to keep everything as familiar and down-to-earth as possible. Aunt Gui had taken care of all the foods (and her mother and aunt also took part in it). Yixing and Jongdae had played their roles as EOs well. Zitao cried all the time they were discussing about the party, holding to her hand, sobbing things like ‘you are an angel, Meili’ and ‘I better be the godfather!’. The latter statement made Han and Minseok (even Jongdae) protested, saying how they deserve the title more since they were the elders.

“Ahem.” she looked up, only to find Yifan standing awkwardly before her, tall and pale.

“Ah, look at you.” she chuckled. “No wonder why shushu said you look like a zombie. You’re pale, dude, have you ate like anything?”

‘5. Lure jerk to his own park’

Yifan offered a slight grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll live as long as Aunt Gui cooks for me.” he said before he nudged his chin towards the crumpled paper on her hand. “What is that?”

“Nothing.” she shrugged it off as he shoved it into the pocket of her jeans. “Anyway, there’s something I want to tell you.”

“Something you want to tell me,” he hummed, “or something you have to tell me?”

“Cut the crap, Wu.”

“Sorry. What is it, then?”

“I have a wish.” she exclaimed. “And the wish must be granted.”

Yifan quirked an eyebrow. “What if it’s not?”

“Then I’d cry and punch you in the face.”

“Deal. What’s the wish then?”

She heaved a sigh, before she put up a determined look on her eyes. “I demand a marriage.”

Yifan almost choke on empty air.

“Okay that… came out wrong.” she blinked. “I mean, propose to me.”

“You’re pregnant??”

“No!! Jesust Christ, I am not – why would you think I am??” she tried to kick him on the shin but he dodged right away.

“Then why are you asking me to propose to you??”

“Because I want you to!” she yelled back. “You’ve been selfish all the time, shutting me out of your life, not even trying to look for me on my birthday, not even there at Christmas party in my house, and even the New Year ’s Eve, oh God you’ve been such a jerk!!” she groaned. “You’ve been so selfish so let me be selfish now.”

It was almost like a déjà vu when Yifan asked with shaking voice, “what are you saying?”

Meili calmed herself down, staring right into Yifan’s eyes. “I want to be married, as soon as possible, with the guy I love. I don’t know what he was thinking, but I have my own life planned and he must follow my map. I had planned my life and he’s in it, as my husband and the father of our possibly upcoming child. That’s the life I want. And in order to have it, he must marry me.”

Yifan gazed at her ever so softly. “What about the ending?”

“It will be my problem to deal with. You don’t need to think about it; in fact, let’s not think about it ever. So I demand you to ask me to marry you. You don’t even have to worry about anything; I already planned everything, so you just have to ask me to marry you. I give you three days to propose.” She didn’t realize that tears were already running down her face until Yifan scooted closer to wipe it off with his thumb, staring at her ever so lovingly. “Three days, Wu Yifan. If you don’t propose me within three days then I’d really punch you in the face and ruin it to the point where no one will recognize you anymore.”

But Wu Yifan was a man of sudden events and surprises. So she should’ve known better, although she was sure she would still be shocked in any other way, when Yifan pulled the supposedly pendant of his necklace inside his shirt and chuckled as he revealed it.

Two silver bands, one being smaller than the other.

Yifan took off his necklace and separated the rings from it. “Hmm,” he hummed as he squinted his eyes to read the words carved inside one of them (‘WY.WM’ on both rings), “so these are finally useful in the end.”

It was her turn to be speechless. Her mind was a mess when Yifan got down on one knee, holding one ring up to her, and between the trances of her thoughts she realizes that they were once again before the merry-go-round. “Will you marry me, Huang Meili?”

She took a deep breath. “No.” she bitten her lip when Yifan frowned. “No. That was not how I imagined Wu Yifan proposes to me.”

Yifan cocked his head before a mischievous smirk grew on his lips. He took her hand, lifted her ring finger, and slipped the ring into her slender finger so easily, as if it really belonged there (which it is). “I demand you, Huang Meili, to marry me.” he grinned.

She replied the grin three times brighter. “Yes, Wu Yifan sir, with my pleasure.”

’10. Make jerk agree to marry me’

December, 2013

“It’s a boy.”

“Yep, it’s a boy.”

“It’s a boy.”

“… I’m pretty sure I said so.”

“It’s really a boy.”

“Yep, it’s really a – holy crap-by patty, Yifan why are you crying??”

“It’s a boy.” Yifan whispered through his sobs. “It’s really a boy.”

“… should I exchange our son with someone’s daughter so you’d stop crying?” Meili dumbly said.

“He’s just very touched, mei mei.” Yixing said in amusement. “You know how he really wants a son.”

“Well, now that I finally give him one, he won’t stop crying.” Meili grunted, before her head snapped at Yixing. “Ah, right, why don’t you try to hold him first? I’ll let Yifan calm down before he try.”

“Can I?” Yixing’s eyes sparkled as Meili handed him her new born and nodded. Yixing was the godfather after all (Zitao became the best man at the wedding instead). “You’re so tiny~” Yixing cooed over the baby bundled on his arms. “What will be his name, then?”

“I’m not really sure actually.” Meili shrugged. “I already have a name for baby girl, but for baby boy, I was considering ‘Shixun’. A random name, actually.”

“’Wu Shixun’ sounds cool.” Yixing nodded in agreement. “Hey, why don’t you try my old name instead? I was ‘Zhang Jiashuai’ before my mother changed it to ‘Zhang Yixing’.”

“Hmm, Wu Jiashuai… nah, not really cool.”

“Xue.”

Both Meili and Yixing turned at Yifan, who was staring outside the window of the hospital room. “… yes, Yifan, snow. It’s snowing.”

“No, I mean,” Yifan snapped his head back at his wife, “his name should be ‘Xue’. Wu Xue.”

“Ah, because he was born in a snowy day!” Yixing chirped. “You’re genius sometimes, Yifan. Hi Xue, this is Uncle Xing. I’ll love you more than your other uncles will do, remember that.”

Yixing then handed the baby boy to Yifan’s waiting arms. And as she watched Yifan beaming on his son, staring at the tiny life with so much adoration in his eyes, Meili felt her eyes getting warm.

“O…kay, I’m out.” Yixing felt the urge to step away from the little happy family.

After Yixing was out, Yifan stood up from his chair and plops down next to his wife on the bed instead. “Xue,” he whispered to the baby, “this is baba, do you remember my voice?”

Like a magic, little Xue opened his eyes.

“Okay, definitely your eyes.” Meili giggled. “And your nose. Oh, those are my cheekbones… no, they’re yours.”

Yifan chuckled before he shifted his son to a closer position to Meili. “This is mama. You’d probably remember her the most since she was the one who carried you all along. But please promise me that you’ll love me too as much as you love her?”

“Silly, of course he’d love you more. I can already see who’s going to be the favorite.” Meili leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder.

“Yeah but kids always prefer their mothers, right?”

Meili smiled warmly as she placed a hand “He’ll love both of us just fine, Yifan.”

“And I love both of you.” he whispered as he stared into her eyes. “More than anything in the world.”

As if it wasn’t enough to make tears start to pool on her eyes, Yifan placed a gentle yet warm kiss on his son’s forehead. “I promise you I’ll stay as long as I could, Xue.”

It was a promise to both his son and his wife.

===

November, 2014

Love doesn’t know time; it can be short-lived like my fondness over Korean singer G-Dragon before I found out he was involved with (but he’s still hot nonetheless), it can last like my love for Yifan. Am I being cheesy, though?

“I’m sorry, Meili.”

There’s a silence, a heart wrenching one, before Meili sighs and offers a smile to the man in front of her. “It’s… fine. Can I… can I and Xue say goodbye to him now?”

Dr. Zhang nods slowly. “… yes. Everyone’s already in the room.”

“Everyone?” she chuckled faintly, “is that even allowed?”

Love doesn’t know how; be it romantic love between a girl and a boy or a pure love between a mother and a daughter. Love was what me and Yifan had everytime we bond to each other, physically or mentally. Love was what I saw when Yifan sang a lullaby to Xue in the middle of the night when our son had woken up thirsty. And geez, the way he looks at Xue with those sparkling eyes.

Everyone immediately looks at her as she enters the ER. Little Xue tightens his grip on her neck, which somehow makes her chuckle. She pats her son’s head and occupies the chair next to her father in law, right before the bed where Yifan lies. She stares at the machines that have been keeping her husband alive, before her eyes shift at the man.

“Xue,” she starts with a light tone, nudging her son, “look, baba is sleeping.”

She hears Zitao’s sob from the corner of the room.

“But baba is not waking up anymore.” she continues with a smile, although her tears are already betraying her. “Should we say goodbye to him?”

Her son looks up at her in confusion.

Love doesn’t know who; all it ever knows is to bring two souls together. Me and Yifan, we were brought by love, a romantic one. The boys, they were brought by brotherly love. Xue and both of us, it was parental love. You don’t have to be romantically in love with your soul mate; me and Yifan just happen to have it.

“Why, sweetheart?” she asks, fixing her son’s hair.

“Baba,” Xue points his chubby finger at his supposedly sleeping dad, “no.. wake up?”

Meili feels like she’s going to choke on her own tears as she nods.

Her son looks so defeated. But then the little guy brings his hand up and waves it hesitatingly towards his dad. “Bye bye, baba.”

All that Meili is still aware of are Zitao breaking down in sobs, her mother gently taking the confused little Xue from her arms, and the faint sound of her heart breaking into pieces.

And love, doesn’t know endings; it never promised either a happy or sad one. It never promised me that Yifan will stay. It never promised me that we’d have our happy ending for a long time. Cannot blame it in the end, right?

It just knows how to be a part of a person’s life. It just knows how to be a part of my life, in the form of Yifan.

Dr. Zhang and a few of nurses come in. Meili notices they are talking about something, but it doesn’t get into her mind to be processed. Her mind is in a mess. She has been staring at the oxygen mask on Yifan’s face for too long.

A pat on her shoulder brings her back to the reality. “Meili?”

It’s her father in law. “Y-yes?”

“They’re… going to take off the machine that has been supporting him.” the man says quietly.

She confusedly stares up at her father in law before she shifts her gaze on Yifan again. They’re going to take off the machine that has been supporting her husband’s heart beating. It means that the heart would no longer beating. Which leads to another fact that Yifan will finally stop living.

She forces her head to nod.

And the long beeping sound resonates through the thick air before another sobbing starts.

Meili holds onto her husband’s hand; it feels cold, but she just can’t let go of the last contact she’d ever have with him. ‘Bye’, she whispers, ‘and happy birthday… to us.’

“November sixth, 2014. Time of death, 08.10 PM.”

No one could ever explain love to another. Love is, unavoidably, something objective. Whatever love means, it depends to the one who feels it, who experienced it.

As for me, love is actually very simple. It’s as simple as holding Yifan’s hand through every heart seizures he had, through every pain he has to endure. As simple as looking into his eyes and knowing what he’s thinking. As simple as holding his hand and feel him gently squeezing mine, assuring that everything’s going to be fine. As simple as laying with him on the bed, tickling Xue until our little prince begs for mercy. As simple as watching our son sleeps between us. As simple as seeing him smiling to me although his face is covered with that annoying oxygen mask. As simple as looking at him with my heart swelling in warmth and fondness.

And as much as cheesy and dreamy it would sound, I always see our love, our story, is a fate written from the Heavens.

Like he said, ‘it had been written in our stars’.

===

To my beautiful wife, Wu Meili

Happy tenth year anniversary, beautiful

You do remember that it’s exactly ten years since we met each other

for the first time, right?

In those ten years, we grew up together, learnt a lot of things

together, did a lot of crazy things together, went through every tears

and pain together, and stayed by each other

I can’t find any proper way to express my gratitude towards Him for

giving you to me

You are the best thing that ever happened in my life, Meili

Well, and Xue too

I want to say I love you, but I think you’re already tired of hearing

that every single day

Although I’d never get tired of saying it

Because I really do, beautiful

I really love you, so much

And it really hurts to know that sooner or later, I have to leave you

and Xue

I am so sorry, that’s all I can say

Thank you for never giving up on me

Thank you for giving me the life I’ve always dreamed of

Thank you for loving me in every way I can see and every way

I can’t see too

Thank you for existing in my life

If this letter ever reached you, then it means that by the time you’re

reading it, I’m already in a situation where I can’t tell you the things I

said above by myself

I love you, beautiful, I always did, and I’ll always do

                                                                                                  Yifan

P.S.

Look up at the lights, beautiful, can you imagine them as a lot of

stars? Or constellations?

Our love, our story, our fate, it has been written for us

It has been written in our stars

I know I’m being too cheesy, but please don’t get mad at me?

:3

===

November, 2004

It was a rather cold autumn day, and Huang Meili was sulking alone on the bench at the hospital park despite the harsh wind and the numb feeling that was creeping through her fingers. It was her birthday and instead of celebrating it in a restaurant with her beloved family and close friends, she spent her time in the hospital since the morning because her cousin just had to fall from the second floor of his house and injured his leg pretty badly, which made even her parents stay at the hospital to look after him. And it was really devastating for Meili to the point that she had lost all her pity for her cousin. Why can’t you just fall tomorrow, Zitao?!?! Not today!!

When she was about to sigh, someone beaten her for it. She looked up to see a guy slowly plopping himself at the other end of the bench, face not really as dark as her, but still gloomy. She stared blankly at the guy; she always hated skinny guys, they look like skeleton. The guy has a rather disturbing face features to her; that pointy nose, that sharp jaw, ewh.

He looks… cool, though. … Eh? Eh?

“Xiao mei mei,” she was pulled back from her staring session when she found that the guy was already staring back at her as well, “why are you looking at me like that?”

… his voice sounds weird. “Sorry.” Meili mumbled before she retreated back and scooted further from him. But then she heard him chuckled, so she looked up again. True enough, he was smiling softly at her.

“You look troubled.” she spoke.

“You too.” he said. “I saw you from the distance. Your eyebrows were knitted together.” he mimicked the way she was frowning before he laughed again. “You look ugly.”

Meili gasped at how innocent he sounded when he insulted her. “You don’t think you looked ugly yourself??”

He just shrugged. “I maybe was.” he then glanced at her. “What were you thinking about that it made you look ugly, then?”

Deciding that it won’t bring any point in protesting, Meili sighed as she leaned back. “Today is my eleventh birthday yet I have to spend practically the whole day here because my stupid cousin fell from the window of his bedroom. Geez, can’t he pick another day to fall??” she grunted. “Worst birthday ever.”

“You sounded like you don’t feel sorry for him.” he said in amusement.

“I feel sorry for his leg, not for him.” she scoffed as the guy laughed. “What about you, though? What was making you look ugly?”

The guy sighed once more, and she grew impatient as he didn’t answer right away. When she was about to protest, though, he spoke.

“Today is my fourteenth birthday, yet I have to spend practically the whole day here,” he paused a bit, “because stupid doctor called me and said I have to do some tests.”

Her eyes widened at him. “Whoa, what tests?”

“Some health tests.”

“Why do you have to do that?”

He replied with a shrug first. “My heart is weak.” he had said as if it was the most common thing in the world. And because she didn’t know better that time, she just nodded half confused before the guy introduced himself to her. Around eight insults later, they went to the nearest bakery shop and bought a nice chocolate cake because she demanded that at least they should celebrate their birthdays properly with blowing a candle and making a wish. He had said she was childish, but he did it nonetheless.

“I wished for Zitao to fall again so he has to stay longer at the hospital. What did you wish for?”

‘I wish I can be healthy enough to be around this xiao mei mei for a long time’. “Meanie. I wished for you to be pretty enough to be around me.”

“I’m so gonna tell my mom!!”

It was both their birthdays when she first met Yifan.

________________________________________________________________