After getting home, Lu Ping ate dinner with his parents and proactively washed the dishes. His little sister clung to him, begging him to tell her a story, but Lu Ping put on a serious face and told her, “Today, your brother has something very important to do, so he can’t keep An An company.”
That serious expression made him look as if he were about to embark on some grand mission to save the world, to anyone who didn’t know better.
An An was intimidated by him and obediently stopped bothering him.
Lu Ping returned to his room, locked the door behind him, and only then sat back down at his desk. He took out the letter that had been hidden in his schoolbag for a full five days.
The envelope was pink, with no extra decorations. Lu Ping held it up to the desk lamp and vaguely made out the handwriting inside, though it wasn’t clear.
He steadied his nerves, carefully sliced open one side of the envelope with a small knife, and gently extracted the letter.
As he unfolded the paper, elegant, delicate handwriting came into view.
【Hello, classmate Shen Yuze!
I’m Ashley. To you, I’m a stranger, but I’ve been quietly paying attention to you for a long time.】
After reading this line, Lu Ping guiltily glanced left and right like a thief, even though he was alone in his own room with no one else around. Still, he couldn’t shake the fear that someone might catch him secretly opening someone else’s mail.
But soon, that guilt was replaced by a more complex emotion.
To his surprise, this wasn’t a love letter at all… Or more accurately, it was like a “tree hole” confession.
The fan named Ashley was pouring out her life’s troubles to her favorite blogger.
Just as Lu Ping had guessed earlier, Ashley was also a marginal figure at school. But she was a bit luckier than him—her family was well-off, and she hadn’t suffered bullying from other classmates. However, her introverted personality kept her trapped in her own little world, too afraid to take a step forward.
She had first been drawn to the photos of @fake-diaond on Partner, envying his vibrant life. Later, she discovered that Shen Yuze was a big shot at school, and her admiration grew even stronger.
Ashley wrote in the letter: 【We’re the same age, but I’m so utterly ordinary, while your world shines so brightly.】
As Lu Ping gazed at these lines, he suddenly had the illusion that he had written them himself.
Hadn’t he once looked up to Shen Yuze in exactly the same way?
【When I picked up your student ID, I originally planned to hand it straight to the school office, but in the end, I mustered the courage to write this letter.
Truth is, this is my last week at school. Next month, I’m transferring to a strange new city.
Every day, I wonder: What will the new school be like? What will the new classmates be like?
How can I become as popular as you? How can I make friends?
Will anyone like the ordinary me?】
【Shen Yuze, @fake-diaond—I don’t know which name to call you by. I don’t even know if you’ll read this letter.】
【If it were you, would you be afraid of an unknown future?】
The letter wasn’t long, and Lu Ping finished reading it in just a few minutes.
Though Lu Ping had never transferred schools, he had come alone from North Shore to No. 1 High School, and he knew that sense of alienation from not fitting into the group. As for the other troubles, they weren’t unfamiliar to him either.
Lu Ping pondered for a moment, and suddenly an idea popped into his head—he wanted to write a reply.
…
The young man stood before the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, gazing at the distant Jiaojiang North Shore.
From this high-rise apartment to the old-fashioned residences on the other side of the river, the straight-line distance was only five or six kilometers. But separated by the surging river, the city was divided into northern and southern halves.
Night had fallen, and cars streamed back and forth between the north and south banks. From afar, they looked like tiny fireflies wandering through a steel forest.
He tried hard to spot the familiar two-story house amid that steel forest, but it was too far—he could only make out a vague shadow.
What was Lu Ping doing right now? Was he sitting at his desk, reading that “love letter”? Would he reply? How would he put pen to paper?
Shen Yuze couldn’t control his wandering thoughts.
He knew Lu Ping too well. Even with his eyes closed, he could picture every move the boy made.
Because he held his pen so much, Lu Ping had a thick callus on the side of his right middle finger. Whenever he encountered a problem he couldn’t solve, he’d subconsciously dig at it with his thumbnail. If the questions got harder, he’d scratch his head in frustration until it became a messy bird’s nest. When he zoned out, he’d crack his finger joints with a light pop, only to jump at the sound himself…
For a fleeting moment, Shen Yuze wanted to have the housekeeper fetch a high-powered telescope. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came.
He didn’t want to end up like his mother, always paranoid and trying to control everyone.
A wildflower belonged in the fields, not in a vase.
Shen Yuze stood blankly before the glass wall for a good while before picking up the tablet beside him.
His fingers habitually tapped into the Partner App, scrolling through @fake-diaond’s updates. Coincidentally, the algorithm recommended a “related post” where the blogger mentioned @fake-diaond by name.
Curious, Shen Yuze clicked through.
@ash: 5555 So touching! A few days ago, I happened to pick up @fake-diaond’s student ID at school! He’s super duper handsome in person—the deathly lighting on his ID photo is still knockout! When I returned it, I asked his classmate to pass him a letter. I didn’t have high hopes, but a week later, I actually got a reply from the blogger himself.
Quietly showing off the reply letter~~! 【Shared photo】
Upon seeing this girl’s post, Shen Yuze immediately thought of the pink “love letter” in Lu Ping’s desk pouch! The clever boy quickly pieced everything together and realized where the student ID Lu Ping had found that day had come from.
He eagerly opened the photo she shared. It was a handwritten letter. The familiar handwriting jumped off the page, with blunt strokes and every character written with utmost seriousness.
【To Ashley:
Hello! I’m thrilled to receive your letter.
First off, thank you for your attention and your liking.
To be honest, the reason I signed up for this account is simple: I was too lonely.
I’m not as popular as you imagine. I don’t have any standout qualities—nobody wants to stick around me, so I’ve always been a lone wolf.
But luckily, not long ago, I met someone.
—My new desk mate.
We don’t match up in any way; we’re like mountain and valley, worlds apart.
When I first met him, I was a bit scared of him. He’s got this icy personality, always talking down from on high, with a sour face five days out of seven (the other two are weekends when I don’t see him).
I was sure we’d never be friends—I’m not a masochist.
But at some point, I started caring about him. I remember what foods he’s allergic to; he helps me with tough homework. We’ve gone street food crawling together and faced crises side by side…
Oops, off topic. I meant to answer your questions, but I ended up bragging about my friend.
Back to the point!
Classmate Ashley, you asked how to make friends—I really don’t have a method. I can only say “fate decides.” When fate arrives, you’ll meet that person.
Making friends isn’t about family background, looks, or personality—it’s about whether your souls click. Before making friends, don’t set all sorts of rules for yourself. When you meet someone who vibes with you, reach out boldly—don’t chicken out!
As for whether I’m afraid of the unknown future… Of course I am. Sometimes I worry about what college I’ll get into, whether I’ll earn enough money, whether I can make my parents proud.
But precisely because the future is unpredictable, it’s full of anticipation.
And now I have a friend—I’m not alone anymore.
Even if the world ends tomorrow, I know he’ll be by my side : )
Ashley, I hope this “friend-making luck” gets passed on to you.
I wish you’ll meet a friend who gets you at your new school, and that you bravely embrace your new life.】
