Chapter 1: The First Time I Saw Her

It was the first time I saw her—and from that very moment, I was captivated by her eyes.

It happened during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The world was quiet, locked down, and everyone’s faces were hidden behind masks. I had just stepped into college life, and that day, I was at the registration office, queuing up to submit my documents.

As I rummaged through my bag for my registration slip, I noticed her beside me, doing the same—but in a much more clumsy and adorable way. While I quickly found mine, she was still fumbling through her papers.

I turned to her and asked gently, “Do you need help?”

She glanced up with a smile behind her mask and replied, “No, thanks ya.”

Moments later, she found her slip. Even with most of her face covered, I could see the happiness in her eyes. And that was the beginning of our first conversation.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Shu Yu,” she said.

A flash of recognition crossed my mind. “Oh! You’re the one with that profile picture in the car on WhatsApp, right?”

She laughed. “Yeah, that’s me! How did you know?”

“I just remembered the pretty face,” I said, chuckling.

“Hahahaha. Then what do I call you”

“Nan Hui,” I answered with a warm smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

After I finished registering, I said goodbye and left the office. At that moment, I had no idea how much this girl would come to mean to me.

Later that day, I texted her. It felt natural to keep the conversation going. I found out she was in the same module as me—and like me, she had to take Biology, a compulsory subject we both dreaded.

From that registration moment, I could tell academics weren’t her strong suit. And something inside me stirred—the urge to help her, to be her academic "hero." Maybe it was my way of staying close.

I don’t remember exactly how long we kept texting—it’s been five years now—but those early memories of her are still vivid. They were sweet, warm, and carried the kind of innocence only college days can offer. I never confessed my feelings, though. Deep down, I knew she didn’t feel the same way.

Biology became a nightmare for her. She eventually decided to switch to a different module—Computer Science. Interestingly, I had been considering the same switch for a while. I hated Biology too.

We both submitted our requests. Hers got approved. Mine didn’t.

When I told her, she didn’t say much. Maybe she didn’t know what to say. Still, I wasn’t ready to give up, so I submitted another appeal—and to my relief, it was accepted!

I was overjoyed. Finally, I could leave Biology behind—and maybe be in the same class as her.

The next day, I went to the office for class registration. Out of kindness, I let another student register before me. But fate has its quirks—he ended up registering for her class. When it was my turn, her class was already full.

I missed the chance to be in the same class as her.

You might ask, “Why didn’t you just register for her class first?”

Well, it was first come, first served. And sometimes, being kind costs you something small—like sitting next to someone who means the world to you.

Still, our story didn’t end there. There were more chapters waiting for us.

Now, I find myself missing her every single day—even if all I can do is scroll through her pictures on Instagram, wondering what could have been.

To be continued…