A Lingering Affection in the Depths of Time
Chapter 1: Old Items Reappear
Ah Yu was looking for a pen in Zhong Hua's pen holder when her gaze was drawn to half a blue eraser in the corner. The eraser looked a bit old, with some rough edges, but it had a familiar feel to it. Ah Yu reached out and picked it up, and a few distant images flashed through her mind. This was the eraser she had borrowed in high school and forgotten to return.
"You even kept this?" Ah Yu asked, pinching the rough edge of the eraser, a hint of surprise mixed with a strange emotion. At that moment, Zhong Hua was sitting at the table, intently revising the design. Hearing Ah Yu's words, he didn't even look up, but simply smiled slightly and said, "You always like to smudge the paper when you draw, but this one is clean."
Just then, Lin Wanqing passed by, glanced at the eraser, and jokingly said with a smile, "Last time when we were cleaning the warehouse, he found it in his old textbooks and treated it like a treasure." Lin Wanqing's words stirred up ripples in A Yu's heart. Looking at the half eraser, his thoughts seemed to be pulled back to his high school days.
Back then, Ah Yu sat by the window, sunlight often streaming onto his desk. He liked to doodle during breaks, but he was always careless, either drawing on his hands or smudged his drawing paper. Zhong Hua sat behind him, and whenever Ah Yu was in a hurry to find an eraser, Zhong Hua would quietly hand him his blue eraser. Once, Ah Yu was in a rush and just grabbed it, using it immediately and stuffing it into his pencil case, completely forgetting about it afterwards. He never expected that after all these years, Zhong Hua would still have it.
Chapter Two: High School Days
High school life is always filled with innocence and naivety. Ah Yu is the class's artistic backbone, with exceptional talent in painting. Whenever there's a school painting competition or a blackboard newspaper assignment, Ah Yu is always at the forefront. As for Zhong Hua, although he seems like a somewhat dull academic star who only knows how to bury himself in his studies, he's actually always secretly watching Ah Yu's every move.
I remember once, the class was creating a blackboard newspaper about the four seasons on campus. Ah Yu was in charge of the drawing, and Zhong Hua was also asked to help with the writing. Ah Yu was so engrossed in drawing that his hands were covered in paint. He habitually reached for his eraser, only to find that he couldn't find it anywhere. Seeing Ah Yu's anxious look, Zhong Hua handed him his eraser without saying a word, smiling and saying, "You're always so forgetful. Use mine for now." Ah Yu took the eraser and gave Zhong Hua a bright smile, a smile that shone brightly in the sunlight, making Zhong Hua's heart skip a beat.
Later, the blackboard newspaper was successfully completed and won first prize in the whole school. Ah Yu was as happy as a child and took a picture with Zhong Hua in front of the blackboard newspaper. In the photo, Ah Yu smiled happily, while Zhong Hua stood aside, looking at Ah Yu with tender eyes.
That half eraser became a small testament to that time, witnessing the days when they worked together for the honor of the class, the laughter during breaks, and the innocent and pure friendship between them.
Chapter Three: The Passage of Time
After graduating from high school, everyone went their separate ways. Ah Yu went to an art school to continue pursuing her dream of painting, while Zhong Hua chose a science and engineering major and began to study design. Although they didn't keep in touch as frequently as before, the friendship they formed in their youth remained in their hearts and never faded away.
Occasionally, Ah Yu and Zhong Hua would attend class reunions. Every time they met, they felt a special sense of closeness, as if time had never passed. They would chat about their university life. Ah Yu would excitedly talk about which art exhibitions she had participated in and which works she was satisfied with; Zhong Hua would talk about the difficulties he encountered and the small achievements he made in his design major.
Lin Wanqing became their good friend during university. She had a cheerful personality and always knew how to liven up the atmosphere. The friendship between the three of them slowly took root and grew over the years.
After graduating from university, by chance, Ah Yu, Zhong Hua, and Lin Wanqing came to work in the same city and even rented a studio together, starting their days of striving for life and dreams.
In the studio, everyone worked overtime together on the project, argued heatedly over a single idea, and then raised a glass to celebrate after completing the task. That half eraser lay quietly in Zhong Hua's pen holder, like a secret from the past, waiting to be rediscovered.
Chapter Four: Understanding Gradually Becomes Clear
As they spent more and more time together in the studio, Ah Yu discovered that Zhong Hua always took meticulous care of him. When Ah Yu worked late, Zhong Hua would always remember to bring him his favorite late-night snack; when Ah Yu's painting tools broke, Zhong Hua would always try his best to fix them; even when Ah Yu was experiencing creative blocks and feeling down, Zhong Hua would quietly stay by his side, listen to him, and offer encouragement.
Zhong Hua's feelings for her were also deepening day by day. Watching Ah Yu focused on her painting in the studio filled him with immense joy. To him, that eraser was more than just a tool to clean the drawing paper; it was a precious keepsake connecting them to their past. He couldn't bear to throw it away, and even just keeping it in the pen holder, seeing it occasionally, would warm his heart.
Lin Wanqing had actually noticed the subtle feelings between the two. Sometimes she would tease them on purpose, and seeing their shy and helpless expressions, she felt both amused and gratified.
Once, Ah Yu was under immense pressure because she was participating in an important painting competition. She locked herself in her studio all day painting and didn't eat properly. Zhong Hua saw this and was very worried. He personally cooked Ah Yu's favorite dishes, served them to her, and said, "Don't push yourself too hard. Your health is important. I believe you can definitely do well." Looking at the food in front of her and at Zhong Hua's concerned face, Ah Yu felt a warm current welling up in her heart. At that moment, she seemed to understand that Zhong Hua's feelings for her had long since transcended the realm of ordinary friendship.
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