Breaking Up Was a Choice I Planned All Along - Chapter 8

After knowing him for over ten years, I have thoroughly figured out all his little habits.

He remains as composed as ever.

He simply finds the whole breakup thing I’m insisting on a bit troublesome, but he’s certain that after going around in circles, I’ll end up coming back to him.

Because, I can’t live without him.

When I was in fourth grade, my parents got divorced. I moved back to my hometown with my mom, and became neighbors with Zhou Jingnan, living just one floor apart. His family lived on the third floor, mine on the second.

At the new school, the teachers always lectured in the local dialect, which I couldn’t understand. My grades quickly fell from the top ten in the class to the very bottom. But Zhou Jingnan had always been number one in our grade.

Zhou’s mother was very warm-hearted. When she found out my grades weren’t good, she often invited me over for meals, and would have Zhou Jingnan help me with my homework.

That’s how our interactions gradually increased.

After school, I would sit on the back seat of his bicycle on the way home, carrying my little backpack as I dashed into his room to wait for him to explain problems to me.

I would pass him little notes in class, and borrow homework from him at the end of every holiday.

I would leave the door cracked open, watch him walk downstairs, then pretend to bump into him by chance so I could join him for his morning run.

When he sat diagonally behind me, he’d poke me with the cap of his pen whenever he caught me dozing off during class.

Every note he returned to me always ended with, “Shen Pianpian, pay attention in class.”

Even after explaining the problem three times, if I still didn’t understand, he’d look at me helplessly and ask, “Shen Pianpian, were you spacing out in class again?”

“This is the last time, listen carefully.” Of course, even after the last time, there would always be one more round.