Spring melted into summer at Qinghe High, but for Liang Meiyu, every day still felt like the first one—only warmer, louder, and somehow… happier.
Zhao Yichen was partly to blame.
Okay, mostly to blame.
They weren't exactly the "hold-hands-and-smile-sweetly" type of couple. He still found ways to annoy her, and she still rolled her eyes at him at least ten times a day. But there was something different in the way he walked her to class, saved her favorite seat at lunch, or passed her notes during boring lessons.
One Friday afternoon, as the sun dipped low, they sat together under the cherry blossom tree by the school gate.
"You're quiet today," Yichen said, tossing a pebble at the grass.
Meiyu hugged her knees. "I was just thinking… this time last year, I didn't even know your name."
He smirked. "And now you can't stop saying it."
She gave him a deadpan look. "Please. I only say it when I'm mad at you."
"Which is… what? Ninety percent of the time?" He leaned back on his elbows, watching the sky. "Not that I mind. I like hearing it from you."
A breeze rustled the blossoms above them, sending petals drifting down. One landed in Meiyu's hair. Yichen reached out without thinking, brushing it away gently.
For once, he didn't tease. "You know," he said quietly, "no matter how much we fight, you're still my favorite part of the day."
Her chest tightened. She tried to hide her smile, but he caught it.
"And you," she replied, "are still the most irritating person I've ever met. But… I guess I don't want that to change."
He grinned. "Good. Because I'm not changing."
They sat in comfortable silence after that, watching the sun sink below the rooftops. The air smelled faintly of flowers, warm and sweet.
And as long as they were under the same sky, they figured—no matter how many arguments or sarcastic comments—neither of them would be going anywhere.