My Childhood Sweetheart Who Was Lost for Seven Years

Seven years. Seven years that felt like an eternity since Shen Yu, my childhood friend—or rather, my sworn nemesis—left the country. His social media was so quiet that I had assumed his absence was permanent. Yet, life occasionally holds the most unexpected twists.

One day, while scrolling through my feed, a single, uncaptioned status update appeared in my circle of friends. It was an airport coordinate, and after seven years, the profile picture finally confirmed it: Shen Yu had returned.

I was stunned. A ludicrous thought, straight out of a romance novel cliché, popped into my head: “CEO, I have returned. This time, I must take back what belongs to me!” I lay on my bed and burst into laughter. The image of the little boy I used to mock trying to act like a grown-up was truly hilarious.

But the laughter died that evening. Under the warm yellow light of a luxurious restaurant, I faced Shen Yu—the boy who was now an impeccably dressed man in a suit. His intimidating aura, sharp features, and clear-cut angles made him so handsome that I couldn’t help but wonder: Did they have some secret beauty tips overseas?

Tall and imposing, Shen Yu looked down at me with a casual indifference, as if discussing a trivial matter. Then, he made a demand so absurd it was shocking: “Since you have to marry someone anyway, why not me?”

I was so surprised that I slammed my hand onto the marble table. The stinging pain made me wince. Looking up, I met Shen Yu’s narrowed gaze, which seemed to mock my foolishness.

I looked at him as a senior might lecture a child: “Do you even know what you’re saying?”

Shen Yu crossed his arms, responding calmly: “Of course. And if you didn’t hear clearly, I can repeat it.”

I suspected there was something wrong with his brain. Why else would he propose marriage to me? Our relationship was better described as “frenemies” than “childhood sweethearts.” I always felt Shen Yu hated me.

We were born on the same day, but I was born one hour earlier. Because of that one hour, I always considered myself superior, even in height. When I was six, seeing Shen Yu a head shorter than me, I proudly demanded he call me “Sister.” He just looked up at me with cold eyes, refusing to submit.

Though I failed to achieve my goal, I shifted my strategy. Under pressure from our two close mothers, we were forced to hold hands walking to and from school every day. Seeing one tall and one short, everyone smiled: “Oh, look how well these siblings get along!” I would flash my signature sweet dimples, declaring: “Mom said I’m the older sister, I have to take good care of my little brother.” Shen Yu could only endure my constant boasting that he was my little brother.

By middle school, I stopped caring about the “Sister” title, as I had more interesting first crushes. I wrote a love letter, but the first person to see it was Shen Yu. He looked at the pink paper with disdain and coldly remarked: “Luo Ning, your judgment is truly terrible.”

My nascent heart was instantly doused with cold water. I yelled at him: “Who gave you permission to look through my bag? Get lost!” The next morning, the news of my early romance reached my parents. I was grounded, and my first reaction was to blame Shen Yu. I confronted him, but he neither confirmed nor denied it. Our already strained relationship officially froze. We became like strangers.

In the ninth grade, Shen Yu hit a growth spurt and grew a head taller than me. But even this change didn’t make us exchange a word. Later, I entered university locally, while he chose to study abroad.

And now, he was back and talking about marriage.

“I hear Aunt Luo is rushing you to go on blind dates, and I happen to need a wife in name only. Besides, if we marry, it fulfills our parents’ long-held wish. Why not?” Shen Yu spoke slowly.

I recalled the childhood jokes that I would marry Shen Yu. My mother and Aunt Shen would certainly be ecstatic if they knew we were considering marriage. But what did “wife in name only” mean?

Shen Yu looked at me as if I were an idiot, patiently explaining: “It means after marriage, we don’t interfere with each other’s lives. I won’t control you, nor will I touch you. Similarly, you don’t need to meddle in mine.”

My eyes lit up. This plot! “Does that mean there’s a line about giving me 5 million when the contract ends?”

Shen Yu was speechless: “Luo Ning, why are you still so obsessed with money?”

I only sold his homework answers for fifty cents a copy when we were kids! “What’s the fun in life if you don’t love money?”

“I’ll transfer 5 million to you every year.”

I was stunned. Were rich people always this generous? I could open a few more flower shops! I pursed my lips, giving an OK sign.

The news of our impending marriage quickly reached both sets of parents. Shen Yu and I were called home. The four parents interrogated us: “When did you two start dating?”

Shen Yu took my left hand, interlacing our fingers, sending a tingling sensation through my palm. “Last year, on Ning Ning’s birthday, I confessed, and she accepted. That’s when we got together.”

Aunt Shen enlightened my mother: “See? I only mentioned the blind dates once, and he rushed back, afraid someone else would snatch Ning Ning away.”

I shot Shen Yu a look, signaling him to let go, but it was too late. I was completely ignored. The four parents excitedly discussed the wedding date.

“You’re good, Shen Yu. So smooth-tongued now. Such a convincing lie,” I commented.

Shen Yu looked at me, his gaze so deep it made me shiver.

The wedding date was set. I tossed and turned in bed, still wondering: Was agreeing to marry Shen Yu the right decision?

My best friend, Chu Yu, on the other end of the line, exclaimed: “My goodness, you’re still hesitating over such a sweet deal! I wish I had a husband who wouldn’t control me and would transfer 5 million a year.”

Chu Yu’s words were a revelation. Ever since my crush in middle school was ruined by seeing the guy pick his nose, I had been emotionally closed off. Shen Yu’s sudden return saved me from my mother’s forceful blind date arrangements. Plus, with our relationship, there’d be no mother-in-law issues, and I could live as if I were still single after marriage.

Money, time, and a husband who wouldn’t interfere in my personal life. Wasn’t this the dream life? I began to look forward to the wedding day.

However, on the actual wedding day, I was completely blank. The ceremony was grand, and I was exhausted. I took off my heels and let Shen Yu help me into the luxurious Rolls-Royce.

Upon arriving at the bridal home, I fell asleep in the car and was moved directly to the sofa. Drowsily waking up, I stretched. My outfit—a red, strapless, body-hugging dress with a slight slit—exposed a large patch of skin due to the stretching. I hastily grabbed a cushion to cover my legs, mortified.

Shen Yu looked away. Then his phone rang. He frowned and walked out to answer it, without telling me where the bedroom was. I aimlessly explored the villa, eventually falling asleep in the room next to the master bedroom.

In my dream, I felt myself being lifted and gently placed onto a soft surface.

When I woke up again, my shout echoed through the villa. Why did I wake up in the master bedroom? And more importantly, why was I clinging to Shen Yu like an octopus all night?

Shen Yu watched me with his arms crossed. I looked away. “Why am I here?”

“Where else would you be?” Shen Yu calmly replied.

“In the room next door?” I answered blankly.

Shen Yu burst out laughing and walked closer to the bed. “Luo Ning, we are married. You are my wife, of course you should sleep in the same bed as me.”

Shen Yu’s words muddled my mind. Something felt wrong. Didn’t we agree not to interfere with each other’s lives after marriage?

Shen Yu didn’t answer. He casually took off his shirt in front of me and put on a dress shirt. I froze, catching a glimpse of the legendary abs. After changing, he walked up to me, his fingertip lightly tracing the corner of my mouth, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

“Did I say that? My wife?”

This treacherous man changed his tune faster than a pancake!

I scrambled after him: “Did you forget what you said?”

Before I finished, he swept me up and gently placed me on the sofa. His tone was serious: “Don’t walk around barefoot in the house from now on.” He even went back to the room and brought me a pair of slippers.

What? What is going on?

I took a deep breath: “You don’t want to give me the 5 million, do you? Is that why you’re pretending to be ignorant?”

Shen Yu was clearly stumped. He stood frozen for a few seconds before slowly getting up, frowning, his voice laced with helplessness: “Luo Ning, I really want to open your head and see what’s inside.”

I shrank back. Then I noticed his averted gaze and his reddened ears. I looked down at myself: a short, red silk nightgown, a bridal gift from my mother for good luck. The shoulder straps had slipped, exposing my shoulders. I gasped, turning to run to the dressing room.

The morning passed in a blur of my awkwardness and Shen Yu’s domestic busyness. He brought out a simple meal. I had barely eaten since last night, and my stomach was rumbling. I devoured the food.

“How about I move out?” I asked weakly, feeling guilty for having just eaten his food. “After all, ours is a contract marriage.”

Shen Yu finally reacted. He put down his chopsticks and strode back to the room. When he returned, he held two red marriage certificates. The corner of his mouth curled into an extremely wicked smile.

“The marriage certificate is real.”

I was doomed. I felt like I had boarded a pirate ship by mistake.

Shen Yu started moving my things into the master bedroom. I lay limp on the sofa. Was this the “no interference” part?

He even dared to throw my seductive backless dress into the trash! I rushed to stand in front of the wardrobe, but faced with a man a head taller than me and an unhappy expression, I hesitated. Fine, I’ll buy a new one later. I prepared to retreat.

Suddenly, Shen Yu reached out, trapping me between him and the wardrobe. I squeezed my eyes shut, almost reflexively screaming: “Don’t hit me!”

After a long silence, I felt something cool and soft touch my cheek. “I’m not hitting you, I’m kissing you.”

I snapped my eyes open. Shen Yu’s infuriating face was right in front of mine. He kissed me! A slap would have been easier to understand. Clutching my burning cheek, I locked myself in the room, utterly bewildered by his action.

I wrapped myself tightly in the blanket, not hearing the click of the door opening. My thrashing legs were suddenly grabbed by a large hand. I screamed, and my mouth was instantly covered. Shen Yu was in the room. I had clearly locked the door!

He released me and jingled a set of keys. I curled up like a cocoon, retreating to the headboard. Shen Yu rubbed his temples, looking helpless. “Come out. Aren’t you afraid of getting prickly heat?”

I wrapped the blanket tighter: “You won’t touch me.” I knew better now.

Left with no choice, Shen Yu sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze intense. After a long moment, he spoke slowly: “That wasn’t me who told.”

The topic switched too fast. It took me a moment to realize he was talking about the love letter incident. My face flushed hot. I had long known the truth: my mother had figured out my crush on her own. It was a tragic coincidence, and I had chosen not to believe him then. I never apologized to him afterward, hindered by my youthful pride.

Now, Shen Yu brought it up. I was so embarrassed I could barely lift my head. I explained the situation briefly. Shen Yu was silent for a long time, then let out a soft sigh, as if a burden had been lifted.

“Do you still like that person?” he asked.

I shook my head vigorously: “Nothing kills a mood faster than seeing your crush pick their nose in front of you. I sealed my heart that night.”

“Then do you like anyone else?”

I answered truthfully: “No.”

Shen Yu leaned over and embraced me, blanket and all. I was too stunned to resist. My numb feet were starting to ache, and my head was buzzing, but I heard his deep voice clearly:

“From now on, try to like me.”

For half a month after Shen Yu asked me to try to like him, I hadn’t seen him; he was on a business trip. He said he hoped to receive an answer when he returned.

I tossed and turned. Shen Yu liked me? Why? Was it because I called him a shorty? Or because I shamelessly forced him to call me “Sister”? If a person truly liked someone, wouldn’t there be a trace? I hadn’t found any.

I confessed my confusion to Chu Yu, who immediately sat up, her face radiating sudden enlightenment: “Luo Ning, congratulations, you are in love with Shen Yu.”

“Nonsense! I am not!” I staggered, refuting her.

“What was your reaction when Shen Yu kissed you? Were you disgusted? In college, a guy almost kissed you, and you threw up all night. Also, if it wasn’t Shen Yu who proposed, would you have agreed?”

I was speechless. If it were anyone else, the answer was No. Could it be that I agreed because it was Shen Yu?

I returned to the villa. A small box was placed outside the door. It was a square, old notebook, with yellowed edges. I nervously opened it.

The scrawled handwriting on the first page: Luo Ning.

Second page: I don’t want Luo Ning to be my sister.

Next: Luo Ning doesn’t like short people, I must grow taller. Luo Ning is obsessed with money, I must earn a lot of money in the future, all for her.

Further on, the handwriting became neat and sharp. Luo Ning finally stopped asking me to call her ‘Sister.’ There are many boys who like Luo Ning in school, but she’s an idiot and doesn’t know it. That’s good, too. Aunt Luo asked me to help clean Luo Ning’s bag. I accidentally saw a letter. Luo Ning has a crush, her judgment is really bad. Luo Ning is angry at me, Luo Ning is ignoring me now.

My hands trembled, and my heart ached. This diary was the proof I had been looking for.

After a ten-page gap, new handwriting appeared: I have to go abroad. Luo Ning didn’t come to see me off.

The last page read: I like Luo Ning.

I stayed awake all night, my mind filled with the diary entries and Shen Yu’s image. My heart pounded relentlessly. I forced myself to close my eyes. But after half an hour, I still couldn’t calm down. Hesitantly, I picked up my phone and opened WeChat. Shen Yu’s name was at the top. Since he left, he messaged me every day, just “Good morning” and “Good night.” I had never replied.

Seeing the latest “Good night,” an urge welled up in me. I typed: “When are you coming back?”

The reply was almost instantaneous: “Tomorrow.”

Before I could type “Oh,” another message popped up: “Do you miss your sister?”

Seeing the glaring title on the screen, my face immediately flushed. He never called me “Sister” when I forced him, but now he did. “Shen Yu, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?” I pressed the phone to my face to cool down.

The phone rang—it was Shen Yu. While I hesitated, my finger instinctively hit the accept button. I slapped my right hand with my left, reminding myself to be reserved.

Shen Yu’s deep voice came through the receiver. “Luo Ning…” He paused, then continued, “Sister, I miss you so much.”

He had never spoken to me in that tone before. I had always thought Shen Yu was born cold as ice. Now, his voice was lazy yet fervent, practically burning me. My brain short-circuited. My heart hammered violently. I covered my face in panic.

We talked for a long time. Mostly Shen Yu talking, and I listening, completely overwhelmed by his lingering tenderness.