Bedtime Love Stories Collection 1: “Flowers Blooming in Mid-Summer”
He met her in a café called “Fateful Sea Encounter.” She was quietly sitting there, flipping through a new book published in 20xx by Jiuye Hui, titled “Flowers Blooming in Mid-Summer.” This book and its author left a deep impression on him. Jiuye Hui’s pen name was derived from a myth.
According to legend, Jiuye Hui is a magical flower that blooms every nine nights, with a beautiful color and an intoxicating fragrance. If you have ever betrayed someone, seeing it will bring you punishment; if you have been betrayed, seeing it will bring you solace.
However, most people in this world have both betrayed and been betrayed by others, making Jiuye Hui a flower of infinite magic yet filled with more helplessness. “Flowers Blooming in Mid-Summer” is adapted from a true story that Jiuye Hui personally heard in 1999. Through exquisite and cinematic cold prose, it tells a poignant story about the vanished youth with a sense of sorrow.
Back then, he was still a soldier. The monotony of army life gradually made him develop a liking for reading. The first book he read from cover to cover was “Flowers Blooming in Mid-Summer.” He walked straight up to her, looking at the book in her hands. He wanted to see the book again, as he could no longer find it in the market.
That’s how they met, in a café, through a book. Her name was Lulu, and she always had a smile on her face. When love arrives, many people are not prepared, and their lives are no longer peaceful.
Driven by love, they soon moved in together. The lightning speed of their love left them unprepared. Without going through a period of adjustment, their love was bound to be filled with constant arguments in the future. The trivial matters of life gradually made her, who had great hopes, disappointed. He firmly believed that after the adjustment period, she would smile warmly again.
With his persistence and changes, he made her smile again. But he grew tired. The love that went unreciprocated made him question whether his persistence and changes were effective. Yet, he did not give up and continued to hold on to his vows and promises.
Their life continued like this until one day he saw her MSN. The chat records with another man made him realize that no matter what he did, she would not change her mind. He did not propose a breakup because she had never mentioned it. To others, she was a mature woman; to him, she was an immature girl who couldn’t take care of herself. If he left, he would worry about whether she was eating well, if she would be scared at night, and if she was dressed warmly.
Life could have continued. With his gentleness and care, he could have changed her heart. But a report shattered all his dreams. Lulu was already two months pregnant, and he knew the child wasn’t his because he had been on a business trip two months ago. It was time for their love to end. He tidied up the house thoroughly. He installed a remote control light on the opposite building that would shine on their former home every night so she wouldn’t be scared.
He arranged for a year’s worth of housekeeping services and fresh milk delivery for her. He had to leave; there should be another man to take care of her. As long as she was happy, he was willing to leave and give up. He left without any note. Perhaps his departure or stay meant nothing to her anymore.
Returning to an empty room without his voice, she knew he was gone and would never return. Finally, her tears flowed uncontrollably. In all those days walking together with him, she longed to come home and hug him, telling him, “Honey, I miss you.” But she pretended and always had an indifferent attitude towards him. She wanted so much to marry him. When she went to the hospital by herself, the doctor told her she had infertility, which was difficult to cure medically.
This news was a bolt from the blue for her. He liked children and wanted to have his own, but she couldn’t give him a complete family. She knew she was his whole world. Even if she couldn’t conceive, he wouldn’t abandon her, but their future life would leave a big regret, and his family wouldn’t agree.
Continuous arguments, feigned betrayal, and fake pregnancy finally made him leave. Maybe letting him go would make him feel better in the future, finding a girl who loved him like she did and could give him a complete family, and he wouldn’t miss or love her so much anymore. Her life turned gray from then on. The flower bloomed but only for half the summer. Because of love, nothing else mattered to her.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
