Selected Campus Romantic and Heartwarming Story 2: Upward Blossoming Begonias
By the small river in the campus garden, clusters of begonias are in full bloom. The begonias, with their sparse crowns and graceful postures, blossom every spring, producing clusters of pink flowers. The vibrant and delicate begonias, with petals that seem to have been lightly dusted with powder, shimmer in the sunlight. When a gentle breeze blows, the petals fall, making the ground beneath look as if it’s resting on a bed of flower butterflies.
Fan Huihui loves these begonias. For five years in middle school, she has had a special affection for these flowers. Every spring, she visits them daily, wandering among the blooms, her heart becoming particularly clear and bright.
The air is filled with a faint fragrance. A breeze stirs, causing a few pink petals to fall onto her hair and collar. Seeing these petals on her, a sweet smile blooms on her face, as if she herself is a flower, and her steps become exceptionally light and joyful.
This afternoon after school, Fan Huihui, carrying her school bag, came to the begonias again. However, today, a blush seemed to appear on her face, and her steps were a bit hurried.
Earlier, she received a text message from Hao Daqi. Seeing the message, she was stunned and at a loss. This was the first time she had received a message from Hao Daqi, and she didn’t understand how he got her phone number. She felt very surprised.
She put her hand in her pocket, tightly gripping her phone, feeling it becoming hot in her hand.
Unconsciously, she walked to the begonias, glancing around to make sure no one noticed her. She seemed to make a big decision and took out her phone, looking again at the message Hao Daqi sent. The words in the message were like a small hammer gently knocking on her heart: “Fan Huihui, would you like to be two upward blossoming begonias with me? I’ll be waiting for your answer under the begonias after school tomorrow. Hao Daqi.”
Upward blossoming begonias? She couldn’t help but carefully observe the begonias on the branches. As she looked, she smiled and thought to herself, indeed, the begonias are blooming upwards with a spirited posture. She realized she had been passing by these begonias for five years without noticing this. She blamed herself for not observing life carefully, unlike Hao Daqi, whose compositions were excellent because he paid attention to details in life. She felt a bit self-critical.
However, she then thought, what does Hao Daqi mean by wanting to be two upward blossoming begonias? How should I respond?
Fan Huihui was filled with a tangle of emotions.
Hao Daqi was the class’s Chinese representative, known for his excellent compositions. Fan Huihui’s most vivid memory of Hao Daqi was from their first year in high school when he won first prize in a citywide composition contest organized by the municipal education committee. The teacher read his award-winning essay in class.
The teacher’s rhythmic reading echoed in her heart. She glanced sideways at Hao Daqi, thinking to herself, this tall, angular boy had a bit of a scholar’s air.
Looking closer, she almost laughed out loud: Hao Daqi’s eyes were small, which must be why he observed things so carefully. Small eyes, more focus, she thought mischievously.
Hao Daqi transferred to this school in their first year of high school. If it weren’t for his excellent compositions and frequent praise from teachers, she wouldn’t have noticed him. She was reserved around boys, her gaze often cold.
Fan Huihui excelled in science subjects but feared writing essays. Whenever she had to write one, she felt empty inside, and her writing lacked substance.
Once, after reading her essay, the teacher sternly said, “If you continue like this, even if your science grades are good, you’ll be at a loss without good essays. You should learn from Hao Daqi, who excels in both sciences and humanities, especially in writing essays.”
At that moment, she realized the seriousness of the problem. It seemed mastering essay writing was very important. But how could she write well? She wanted to ask Hao Daqi for advice but felt it might be abrupt since she had never spoken to him before.
One day, in the hallway, she mustered the courage to stop and ask Hao Daqi, “Can I ask you something? How can I write good essays?”
Her eyes were full of expectation, hope, and anxiety.
Hao Daqi was stunned, his face turning red, even down to his neck. He didn’t dare look directly into her eyes, turning his face to the blue sky and saying, “Simply put, you need to read more, think more, and write more. These are the keys to good writing!”
All the way, Fan Huihui kept repeating Hao Daqi’s words to herself. It was like uncovering a little secret, making her heart bloom with joy.
Fan Huihui began to practice these “three mores.” She spent her spare time reading extracurricular books, taking notes, thinking more about life’s details, and keeping a diary, writing little reflections on life.
Over time, she felt her writing skills improve significantly. Every time she wrote an essay, she felt she had something to say. A few of her essays were even praised by the teacher!
Whenever she was praised, she couldn’t help but glance at Hao Daqi, her gaze softening. She wanted to thank him from the bottom of her heart.
Unexpectedly, before she figured out how to express her gratitude, Hao Daqi sent her such a message. After reading it, she really didn’t know what to do!
Hao Daqi’s text message was like a small stone thrown into the calm sea of Fan Huihui’s heart, instantly creating ripples. The words from the text kept popping into her mind.
Fan Huihui felt like a frightened little rabbit, unsure where to hide. She was a bit annoyed at Hao Daqi for sending such a message. She often took out her phone, wanting to reply and tell him she didn’t want to meet under the begonias tomorrow. She feared their conversation might disturb the delicate begonias, so fragile that even a breeze could make their petals fall.
However, she never sent the message. She didn’t know how to express herself.
The next day after school, Fan Huihui couldn’t help but go to the begonias. Overnight, more petals had fallen. She didn’t want to step on the fallen petals, fearing she might hurt them, believing they had life. They gently swayed, as if brimming with affection.
Lost in thought, she looked up to find Hao Daqi already there. Seeing him, her face turned red. She noticed his Adam’s apple moving up and down, indicating he was also nervous.
He softly said, “You’re here!”
She replied softly, “Yes.”
Then there was silence, a long silence. It felt like even time had stopped.
He finally broke the silence, asking softly, “Would you like to be two upward blossoming begonias with me?”
Her heart trembled. Since reading his message after school yesterday, she had replayed those words in her mind countless times. Hearing him say it in person stirred up more emotions.
She didn’t answer immediately, feeling confused inside.
She slowly turned her gaze to the begonias, her eyes lingering on the blooms. Suddenly, her heart softened, and she said slowly, “Look at these upward blossoming begonias. They give a sense of strength and vitality, but some only have one flower left, with the other having flown away. No one can guarantee these pairs of begonias will always stay together.”
Hao Daqi looked closely and was amazed, silently admiring Fan Huihui’s keen observation of life.
Hao Daqi felt lost for a moment, unsure how to respond.
Fan Huihui lowered her eyes and said, “Being two upward blossoming begonias is beautiful, but if one leaves, the other should continue to bloom. Blooming is the most beautiful posture in life.”
Hao Daqi’s eyes brightened. He followed her gaze to the upward blossoming begonias.
He said, “You’re right. I want to always be an upward blossoming begonia. What about you?”
“I also want to be an upward blossoming begonia, but I can’t guarantee to always stay with another. Let’s let life decide,” Fan Huihui finally expressed her thoughts. She then picked up two fallen petals, gently blew on them, and they floated in the air like butterflies, shining in the golden sunlight.
The two petals overlapped, separated, overlapped, and separated again in the air…
They both smiled, sweetly and brightly.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
