My First Love Regrets Letting Me Slip Through Her Fingers

Lu Mian’s memories of her senior year in high school have grown blurry, and the unrequited crush she once had has faded into an occasional late-night thought. From a friend’s casual mention, she learns that her old crush is now successful in the capital city, enjoying a happy marriage and a perfect family life. Lu Mian sincerely wishes her well.

One evening, however, Lu Mian spots a familiar figure in her usual bar. Dressed provocatively, she sits at the bar selling drinks, a stark contrast to the pure and graceful girl Lu Mian once knew. Rumors swirl that her family faced a crisis, her husband left her, and she had to return home to make a living.

Seeing her old crush in such a pitiful state, drunk and disheveled, Lu Mian steps in to help out of nostalgia. Drunkenly collapsing into her arms, Lin Jian, the old crush, is asked by Lu Mian, “Are you in desperate need of money?” Lin Jian laughs and responds, “Would you consider keeping me?” She continues, “I remember, back then…” But Lu Mian cuts her off, “I’ve long since let it go.” Lin Jian’s eyes dim, and she falls silent.

Soon after, a friend sets Lu Mian up on a blind date, but Lin Jian calls her over to her place, claiming to be sick. In the dilapidated, dimly lit rental, Lin Jian is burning up with a 39-degree fever, unable to afford a hospital visit, having been ill for years and only buying the cheapest medicine. Out of old feelings, Lu Mian offers her a job as her assistant.

As they spend more time together and Lin Jian falls ill repeatedly, needing her help, Lu Mian grows increasingly soft-hearted towards her. Until one day, she discovers that Lin Jian is actually a famous painter in the circle, with her own business and far wealthier than Lu Mian.

Feeling as if she’s been deceived again like seven years ago, Lu Mian is devastated. When confronted, Lin Jian, eyes red, corners her against the wall, grasping her wrist and refusing to let her leave. “A Mian, I was wrong…” With eyes downcast and moist, her intense possessiveness is evident. Lin Jian is indeed sick, sick for seven years, and Lu Mian is the cure. “You can’t let go.”