OAS Extra 1

Dust floated in the thick air. The old equipment crackled with static. Stage lights lit up the wooden floor until it gleamed. Surrounded by a dense crowd, a young man lifted his head and saw the girl he liked.

The first time Yuan Xiao saw Song Shiyue was at the freshman welcome party at Z University. He normally hated these kinds of events, but a friend had saved him a spot early on. Yuan Xiao swallowed the rejection that was already on the tip of his tongue and got dragged into the fifth row.

In Yuan Xiao’s opinion, university gala performances always hovered at a level of secondhand embarrassment. Nothing ever stood out. After enduring a few dull acts, Song Shiyue took the stage. She wore a white puffed skirt, her square-toed ballet shoes tapping lightly on the floor. She floated like a breeze. At the end of her performance, she smiled and bowed to the audience. The dimples in her cheeks rippled with charm.

After the show, Yuan Xiao waited at the exit. He didn’t even know her name yet, but he smiled at her and declared, “I’m going to chase you.”

When you fall for a brilliant flower blooming by the roadside, do you admire it from afar, or dig it up and replant it in your own garden?

Sometimes Song Shiyue wondered what love really was. People often said the one who gives more is always at a disadvantage, but Yuan Xiao’s actions shattered that shallow belief completely.

Yuan Xiao never cared if someone already had a boyfriend. It didn’t matter. He always ended up being the last one. Arrogant and aggressive, this man crashed into Song Shiyue’s life like a sharp blade.

There seemed to be only one playbook for rich kids chasing after someone: lipstick, shoes, clothes, bags. Whatever was trendy, they would buy it.

“He gave me another Tom Ford yesterday.” She said it while sitting across from Tang Zhou at a drink shop near campus, tucked into the window-side corner. Song Shiyue stirred the ice in her glass with a straw. The delicate, crisp clinks of the cubes nearly melted into her voice. “But I didn’t take it.”

Yuan Xiao’s pursuit of Song Shiyue struck Tang Zhou as nothing more than a spoiled rich boy’s game. Pretty girls always attracted all kinds of suitors. If you bothered to care about each one, life would be exhausting.

When faced with her complaints, Tang Zhou simply smiled gently. “I believe you.” His voice was full of trust and certainty. He turned to look out the window at the bustling street, not noticing the flash of disappointment in the depths of the girl’s eyes.

Sometimes, Song Shiyue wasn’t sure if Tang Zhou truly loved her. Even though after they got together, he was attentive, considerate, never forgot a single anniversary, and always managed to create just the right surprises, something still felt missing.

Tang Zhou never pried too much into her personal life. He maintained just the right amount of space, not so much that it created distance, not so little that it felt suffocating. Their dates followed what felt like a carefully studied formula. Everything was perfectly in place.

Tang Zhou was very patient. He had never once lost his temper over anything. In the eyes of others, they were the perfect couple, the ideal match. But Song Shiyue didn’t think love was supposed to be like this. She would rather he got angry or jealous. Tang Zhou never showed any desire for her.

A skilled hunter never walks away empty-handed.

For Yuan Xiao, chasing Song Shiyue had started out like a hunt. What began as a passing impulse gradually turned into something serious through the long pursuit.

Three months later, she accepted a gift from him for the first time. From that point on, something seemed to shift quietly. Their relationship softened. The messages Yuan Xiao sent her finally started getting replies.

Song Shiyue asked him, “Can’t we just be friends?”

“Sure,” he replied, “let’s watch a movie together.”

When Song Shiyue agreed to his invitation, Yuan Xiao was momentarily surprised. It was the first time her answer hadn’t been a rejection. She didn’t even seem to notice that something had already crossed the line. With a curious smile, Yuan Xiao raised an eyebrow and then sent a message to a number he had never used before.

“Saturday at eleven. X Cinema. Come witness it.”

Trust is a nonrenewable resource. Once it’s used up, it’s almost impossible to restore.

The moment she saw Tang Zhou standing outside the theater, Song Shiyue knew it was too late. Her face turned pale. She stepped forward in a panic, trying to explain.

“He just asked me to see a movie. I…”

Tang Zhou’s expression was like still water. He didn’t speak. She looked at him.

“Say something. Please.”

After a long pause, he smiled faintly and answered in a calm voice.

“Let’s break up.”

His straight back held up the lines of his shirt as he walked away, slowly disappearing from her sight. Song Shiyue remembered the day she had confessed to him. Tang Zhou had thought about it for a moment, just as calmly, then smiled and said, “Sure.”

For a split second, the feeling of loss lunged at her chest like a wild beast. She realized that Tang Zhou’s affection had probably never reached the level of love.

Almost out of spite, she turned to Yuan Xiao.

“I’ll say yes. Let’s be together.”

Yuan Xiao pulled her into his arms. His hand reached behind to stroke her long hair. Where she couldn’t see it, he smiled.

“Okay.”