I had just returned to being single with great fanfare when Shen Que sent me a message saying he was going back to City A to visit his parents and asked me to take him to the airport.

Due to a few rare out-of-print comic books that were hard to find, I decided to give him a ride.

At the airport, I was following behind him when he suddenly stopped, causing me to bump into his back.

Holding my nose that was sore from the collision, I glared at him angrily.

He turned around and looked at me, as if at that moment, his world only had me in it, and unexpectedly he said,

"I like you, let's be together."

Almost amused by him, I thought to leave a bit of dignity.

"Shen Que, haven’t you understood my attitude towards you during this period? There's no need to bring this up again, go ahead and check-in."

He seemed a bit disappointed but still questioned,

"Someone like Lin Pang can be with you, why can't I? Besides, you used to like me a lot, didn’t you?"

I clenched my hands, feeling a slight sting.

"My most important criterion for choosing a partner is that they don't know Zhao Qiao. Do you know that this standard exists because of you?"

He looked surprised, thinking for a moment, as if recalling the connection among the three of us:

"This happened so long ago, you still care about it?"

"I care."

When I was eighteen, I learned a profound lesson from Shen Que.

There are almost no people in this world sent to save you, but there are always people sent to test you.

I once took him as a life buoy, my spiritual support, carefully and secretly in love with him, and he illuminated my teenage years like sunshine.

Our families lived close to each other, and we knew each other since childhood. He was handsome, excellent in both character and academics, and treated Zhao Qiao and me equally, perhaps even a little better to me.

To fall in love with such a shining boy was the most normal thing.

But in our third year of high school, he got together with my cousin. I silently accepted this reality after shedding many tears in private.

I consoled myself that princes and princesses are the best match; it was normal for him to like Zhao Qiao, just as my parents preferred the more excellent Zhao Qiao.

It was just an ordinary night study session, and I was doodling on my scrap paper.

Worried about how to persuade my parents to let me take the art entrance exam, I wanted to reason with them, telling them “Each has their strengths and weaknesses,” and that my strengths didn’t lie in academics, but being good at drawing should also be praiseworthy.

As I was lost in thought, the class teacher came over and lightly patted my shoulder. I thought she caught me drawing comics, scaring me into covering my scrap paper immediately.

Unexpectedly, I was told that my mom was waiting for me in the corridor. I was stunned, thinking something must have happened at home since my mom had never come to school to see me voluntarily.

Hurriedly running out of the classroom, I saw not only my mom but also Shen Que and his mother in the corridor.

My mom’s face didn’t look good. Just as I raised my head to ask, I was met with a slap.

Covering my burning face, not knowing what had happened, tears instantly flowed uncontrollably.

Curious classmates by the window shrunk back in fear after the sound of the slap.

The class teacher stepped forward to stop my mom.

"If there's something, talk it out, don't hit the child."

From my mom’s accusations and the class teacher’s explanations, I learned the whole story. Shen Que was caught dating in the third year of high school, and he provided me as the object of his affection.

Shen Que’s mother looked at me with disdain, no longer kind as before. It was as if I was a self-disrespecting person who led her son astray into dating.

When I was suspected of stealing money as a child, my parents still asked me gently. But over the years, my mom’s patience had been worn away by my mediocrity, and now she had directly resorted to hitting me.

She looked at me as if I was an enemy:

"Your grades are poor, and a few days ago you were clamoring to take the art exam. Now you’ve been caught dating."

With a crying voice, I explained, "I didn't, it’s Zhao Qiao who’s dating early."

Turning around to look at Shen Que, who remained silent, I questioned word by word,

"Look closely, am I the one who’s dating you?"

He hesitated but still nodded. My mom got even angrier at this sight:

"You're even framing your sister now. Fu Ling, can you learn a bit from your sister? Even if you can’t become the pride of your dad and me, can you at least stop making us feel ashamed of you constantly!"

Their voices seemed both near and far. The bell signaling the end of the self-study rang, and people came and went in the corridor, sneaking glances at my embarrassment.

My eyes ached, and at that moment, it felt as if the tears had dried up.

How painful was it back then? A girl’s dignity was completely lost in that corridor, the prolonged secret affection ended there, but the most heartbreaking part was that I ended my yearning for family affection.

Later, I was grateful, thankful that I learned their true feelings early on, sparing me from facing disappointment time and time again with expectations.

Not all parents in the world love their children. My parents’ love was conditional; they only loved well-mannered and excellent children.

Coming back to my senses, I stood in the airport seven years later, listening to Shen Que's belated explanation.

"I liked you from the beginning, only you. I was immature then and made a bet with friends. Your sister was the most prominent girl in school, and to save face, I got together with her.

"I realized I really didn't like her and planned to break up, but my mom discovered it. If our parents found out about my relationship with your sister, you and I would never have a chance, so I said I was dating you.

"At that time, our families’ businesses had some conflicts and were not on good terms. I didn’t expect my mom to speak so harshly to your mom, causing your mom to hit you in anger.

"I apologize to you, but it’s all in the past. Can’t you forgive me?"

After hearing his long confession, I merely shook my head:

"What does this have to do with me? Why should I understand your difficulties and sympathize with your past immaturity?

"For years, I dreamt of that corridor, always waking up in tears. Please, stop saying you like me. To me, your affection only brought harm.

"You are excellent and wonderful, but there are so many men in the world. I only want to find someone who hasn't hurt me and is unrelated to Zhao Qiao. Is there anything wrong with that?"

He was stunned, unconsciously releasing his grip on my arm, and I decisively turned and left.

Just like in that corridor, the airport was bustling, with people glancing at our argument.

I did not cry. Here, I picked up my shattered dignity from the past and ended this long-decayed crush.