The Rose After the Storm

The boy first encountered the girl at a crossroad near their university. The girl had her hair tied up in a ponytail and was wearing a pink T-shirt. She held a pot of vibrant red roses in her hands. Her delicate beauty and serene smile deeply imprinted themselves in the boy's heart.

In the university library, the boy spotted the girl once again. She was engrossed in a book about planting flowers, reading with great care and concentration. The boy felt an inexplicable attraction and couldn't resist moving closer to her. That serene smile appeared before the boy once more, and with courage, he gently tapped the girl's shoulder and said, "Hello..."

The two of them had an instant connection. The boy's father was once a gardener, teaching him a lot about the knowledge of planting flowers since childhood. The girl had a deep love for flowers and personally cared for those lovely plants while learning about them.

The boy taught the girl about gardening, took her to various places to admire the blossoming flowers, introduced her to various types of plants, took her out for meals, and watched movies together. Eventually, they held hands, as if their love was a destined fate, blooming naturally.

The girl told the boy that her favorite flower was the red rose, the kind that is extremely vibrant and radiant. Its redness is so persistent and unwavering, just like the heart's pursuit of beautiful things, always burning with passionate ardor.

The boy disagreed with the girl's viewpoint and gently told her that he didn't like red roses because they were too delicate, easily injured and withered.

The girl didn't argue. Instead, she held the boy's hand, smiled, and changed the topic.

On Valentine's night, the boy went to a flower shop and bought a single red rose. As he stepped out, he realized that the weather had suddenly changed, with strong winds and pouring rain. Determined, he wrapped the red rose in his embrace and rushed into the rain. The raindrops quickly soaked through his clothes, but he ran faster and faster, pushing forward...

When he arrived at the girl's home, the petals of the rose had been swept away by the wind, leaving only a bare stem. The girl burst into laughter, holding her stomach, calling him a "fool." The boy intended to throw it away, but the girl stopped him. She snatched the stem from his hand and carefully placed it in a vase. Perplexed, the boy asked why, and the girl slyly smiled like a little fox who had just stolen a piece of candy, saying, "It's something only a girl would understand."

The boy and the girl became the exemplary couple in their school, and their families also approved of their relationship.

Suddenly, one day, the boy decided to study abroad. The girl didn't try to hold him back. She simply told him that she would wait for him in their home country and asked him to focus on his studies there. On the eve of their departure, the boy gave the girl a pot of yet-to-bloom red roses, promising her that on this day three years later, he would hold a red rose in his hand at the bench near the library where they first met, continuing their love story. The girl nodded, holding the pot of red roses, and watched the boy's plane disappear into the clouds.

Three years later, the boy returned to his alma mater, true to his promise. Holding a red rose in his hand, he sat on the bench in front of the library, quietly awaiting that serene smile.

On the first day, the girl didn't come.

On the second day, the girl still didn't come.

On the third day, the boy's spirit was crushed. He left with a withered red rose, feeling lost. He arrived at a bar, drank all night, and returned home, falling into a deep sleep.

The boy buried the memories of the girl in his heart, only occasionally stirred when he looked back. He didn't want to dwell too much on the past because each time, he couldn't help but yearn for the girl, unable to stop the tears from flowing, unable to stop himself from covering the wound and falling asleep.

The boy left that city and found work in a foreign company. During that time, he met and married the daughter of the company's CEO.

One day, the boy encountered an old schoolmate in a coffee shop. As they chatted, they spoke of the girl once again.

The schoolmate lamented the girl's fate. He told the boy that shortly after he left, the girl had an accident that disfigured her face in a fire. To make matters worse, on a certain evening a few years ago, while crossing the road, she was struck by a runaway truck, abruptly ending her life.

The boy couldn't believe this news and quickly rushed to the girl's mother's home. Seeing that empty room, once the girl's, he realized that everything the schoolmate said was true. The girl's mother told him that the girl had never forgotten their promise. During those three days the boy waited for her, the girl secretly watched him every day, holding a red rose in her hands from a distance. She knew the boy well and didn't want to become a burden to him, hindering him for a lifetime, so she didn't come out to meet him. For her, the best love she could give the boy was to let go. On the day the boy felt disheartened, the girl, in a daze, endured the pain as well. While crossing the road, she met with the accident, flung several meters away by the truck, yet still tightly gripping the red rose.

In her final moments, the girl entrusted her mother to give the boy a message: "The love of a rose will never wither."

The boy wept. Standing alone in front of a flower shop, he remained there for a long time. The sky started to rain, but he stood firm like a statue, until he was completely drenched. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something. Stepping into the flower shop, he bought a red rose, wrapped it up, and braved the wind and rain towards his home.

He handed the single petal-less red rose to his wife and shared with her a story, telling her, "The rose after the storm loses its petals and delicate beauty, but it never loses the radiance of love!"