"So.. what is it you wanna talk about ?" A Lin asks Xiao Ping who sits in front of her. They both are facing a bowl of ice cream each. Xiao Ping invited her to eat ice cream alone. That is something that had never happened before. So, A Lin is guessing that Xiao Ping wants to talk about something in private.
"Hmm.. I'm sorry to ask you this, I'm not trying to be nosy or some.."
"And.. ?" A Lin cuts Xiao Ping's words. The latter raises her head to meet A Lin in the eyes.
"Hmm.. Have you.. successfully.. loved Han Han ?" Xiao Ping asks. "What do you mean ?" A Lin asks her back. "I mean.. I know you were in love to Yu Jin.. and when you accepted Han Han to be your boyfriend, you still didn't love Han Han. Does it change now ? Do you love Han Han now ?" Xiao Ping explains and urges A Lin's answer as one.
A Lin looks at her in the eye with a gentle smile. "I do love Han Han now," she says. A twinkle in both of her eyes confirm that it's true. "How did you do it ? How did you learn to love him and unloved Yu Jin ?" Xiao Ping asks her. A Lin slightly furrows her eyebrows. "Why do you need to know ?" Xiao Ping is not a nosy girl. She won't ask about other's business first.
"Hmm.. I.. I asked Yu Jin to become my boyfriend," Xiao Ping answers with a blush on her cheeks. "That's wonderful! Congratu.."
"He rejected me."
"What ?! Why ??"
Xiao Ping sighs. "He knows I don't love him. He doesn't want to accept my fake love," she says it sadly. A Lin gasps. "What a weirdo!" she scolds Yu Jin. "He loves you so much, but yet still doesn't want to take the chance."
Xiao Ping then looks at A Lin again. "That's why I need to learn to love him. I mean.. he's a very good guy.."
"Very.."
"And he loves me.."
"So much.. he loves you sooo much. Oh, you don't know how lucky you are to be loved so much by a guy like him. I envied you."
"I know.. that's why.. I want to love him. I mean.. Me and Takeshi is over.. I mean really over..," Xiao Ping stops for a second to tell herself not to cry. She smiles gently to wipe the gloomy on her face before continues, "I need to move on, right ? I have to unlove Takeshi and start a new beginning." A Lin nods to agree with her.
"Well..," A Lin starts her answer to Xiao Ping's main question. "I started it by realizing that it is impossible for me to have Yu Jin's love. It was easier for me. Yu Jin never loved me and he showed it clearly. While you.. Takeshi loves you.. well, at least he did." Xiao Ping tries hard not to correct that Takeshi still loves her. Whether he loves her or doesn't anymore, they are impossible to be together in the future. "It is impossible for us to be together again," Xiao Ping says that part out loud while holding her tears back. A Lin pats her hand and gives her a comforting smile.
"It was easier to learn to love Han Han after I experienced his friend treatment," A Lin continues then chuckles in amusement to remember how it was. Xiao Ping frowns to asks an explanation.
"Since Han Han has always attracted to me since the beginning, his treatment toward me has always been special. So I took it for granted. Once I knew that his acts to me has always been his effort, I appreciate every little things he has done. It made me feel grateful and blessed. And then, I started to have the urge to reply his acts. I started to initiatively do the things he does. And then suddenly, I feel empty when he's not around, and want to always by his side. I'm afraid to lose him and start to build my dream of a future with him inside. I guess.. that is love ?" A Lin ends her long explanation with a question. While explaining her cheeks turn red because her raising excitement. She then holds Xiao Ping's hand. "Did you realize that Yu Jin's treatments to you are always special ? Did you realize how much he has sacrificed for you ?"
Xiao Ping nods. "I did. I mean not immediately. I found it out when you finally told me that he loves me. Before that I didn't even notice. But, even Takeshi and my parents knew he loves me. After I knew it.. I just .. Instead of being grateful about them.. I just felt.. sorry for him.. and kind of annoyed." Xiao Ping raises a wry smile. "I'm such an ungrateful person, aren't I ?"
"It was because you were with Takeshi. You felt pity for Yu Jin because he still loves you despite knowing you don't love him," A Lin comforts her. "It was."
"But things are different now, aren't they ? It's not too late to start learning to be grateful about it," A Lin suggests. "You think it will be easy ?" Xiao Ping asks in hope. "No," A Lin answers truthfully, "It is easy to be grateful. The hard one is to let go your love to Takeshi. Mine to Yu Jin was already hard, even more yours I believe. But you will never know if you never try."