The small Yao Mingyue was already feeling anxious and worried, holding her little face in distress and nervously watching her Brother Musen.

The small Xu Musen, however, gave a warm smile: "I don't lie, let alone deceive you."

"Really?"

"Really, I'm a boy, and a real man doesn't tell lies!"

The small Xu Musen extended his finger: "Let's make a pinky promise!"

The small Yao Mingyue looked at his extended finger. Being spoiled from a young age, she adorably huffed, "But I'm not a boy. What if I don't manage to do it when I grow up..."

The small Xu Musen thought very seriously and scratched his head with the other hand: "Growing up is so troublesome, let's just not grow up then."

"Pfft... no way, we have to grow up together. Only by growing up together can we do more things together~"

The small Yao Mingyue flashed her cute little tiger teeth, stretching out her finger to hook it with Xu Musen's.

An agreement to grow up together.

At that moment, their thoughts were simple; they just wanted to be happily together every day.

It didn't matter what roles they played: childhood sweethearts, friends, classmates, neighbors, brother and sister... all they wanted was companionship.

But the naive, childish promise ultimately couldn't withstand the test of time...

They would eventually grow up.

Yet, the hands hooked together never parted.

They entered elementary school, then middle school, and high school together...

They gradually left behind childhood innocence, slowly stepping into the bewilderment of adolescence.

They also gradually realized that between boys and girls, if they truly wanted to be together forever in the future.

Childhood sweethearts, friends, neighbors, brother and sister... those roles wouldn't suffice.

Only one kind of relationship could truly fulfill their pinky-swear promise.

It was also from high school that adolescence hormones brought them brand new feelings.

"Standing in the hallway being punished with hand slaps

Yet we watch the dragonfly outside the window Original content can be found at novelFɪre.net

Wherever I go, you stick close

Many dreams await to unfold..."

They were still childhood friends.

But Xu Musen's gaze towards her had already changed; she was no longer the tag-along he could never shake off.

Now she became increasingly dazzling, with boys around always subtly expressing their admiration in their discussions.

This gave Xu Musen a slight sense of crisis, making him pay more attention to her...

He often daydreamed during class, staring at her back, and naturally, he frequently got called out by teachers for hand slaps.

From then on, the identity of the tag-along quietly changed.

But what didn't change was that they still met every day, talking endlessly, and dreaming of the future...

They were childhood friends, but in the eyes of others, they already seemed like a couple.

Or rather, they acted like a couple under the guise of being childhood friends.

This blurred the lines for them, making it hard to tell whether they were friends or in love.

And it grew increasingly confusing.

The friendship of childhood sweethearts and the love of truly walking together for a lifetime are two identities with different responsibilities.

Teenage Xu Musen was filled with dreams and hopes for the future, and the huge changes and ups and downs made him develop an increasingly possessive obsession with Yao Mingyue.

In fact, the first problem appeared in his mind.

And at that time, Yao Mingyue...

Her voice echoed through the campus.

"The promise to grow up together

So sincere

Endless chats about the past with you

And I can't tell anymore

If you are friendship or missed love..."

As the last line of lyrics fell.

There was already a hint of choking in her voice; only she and Xu Musen could truly understand these stories.

But at this moment, the entire campus was filled with an unravelable sadness.

This song felt like an unfinished ending, a serendipitous yet unsatisfactory conclusion...

The piano notes were still softly playing the outro, until the last note fell.

Somewhere on campus, applause erupted, followed by a chain reaction.

They didn't know who this Yao Mingyue from Class 2 of Senior Year was.

Nor did they know who she was actually singing to.

They didn't know their story, but they had their own stories in their hearts too...

Even the music teacher standing at the door couldn't help but have slightly wet eyes; who didn't have an unforgettable story in their youth?

Xu Musen still stood quietly in place alone.

Yao Mingyue had played this piece more than once.

The first time was in college, when she just found out Xu Musen was with An Nuannuan.

The second time was when she remembered the memories from her previous life.

The third time...

This was the third time.

The first time felt like an unwilling confession.

The second time was a helpless realization.

The third time... more like a release followed by blessings...

Yao Mingyue gently touched the piano keys, her mouth faintly curved. She knew, at this moment, he must be listening too.

She leaned closer to the microphone, her slightly raspy nasal voice once again echoing through the campus via the speakers.

"I know you're listening."

"This is my third time playing this song, but actually, I hate this song the most...

Because from beginning to end, this song feels like the unfinished ending of childhood friends.

But we resemble this song most, we are childhood friends, seemingly destined to be together.

Everyone says we are like a couple disguised as childhood friends.

Yes, after all, we've been together since childhood, going to school, eating, shopping, celebrating birthdays, sharing joy, and comforting in sadness...