I Give Half of My Life to You

Tanjing's Extra

Ever since Tan Jing began understanding the Chinese language, her mother's favourite line was: "It's all because you're not a boy."

Regardless of the context, her mother would say that. Back then, she'd wished for herself to become a boy so she wouldn't have to listen to her mother say that everyday.

Later, when her uncle came to visit, he suggested that her physique was built for badminton.

So she ended up in the same sports school as Lin Miao.

The first day in their dorm, she felt as if she was abandoned. Her pink bed and her teddy bears were all gone.

Everything was taken away.

Little Tan Jing thought of what her mother said. She needed to win gold, her father would like her if she won a gold medal.

She still wanted her father to love her like everyone else's fathers.

Back when she was in kindergarten, she'd often seen her classmates' fathers pick them up, even carrying their backpacks for them and leading them out of the school.

She also wanted to be treated like that.

Then, her roommate came. It was a girl who was half a head taller, and her smile was as pretty as a blooming flower.

Little Tan Jing couldn't think of a word to describe her. She just wanted to be best friends with her.

That night, when the sky had darkened, she curled up under her quilt. She thought of her mother, and her home. She would've been watching TV at home right now.

Her nose felt sour and she soon started crying, unable to resist her tears.

Her roommate then asked to sleep with her.

So she scooched further into the bed, making enough space for her roommate to sleep beside her.

Her friendly roommate hugged her, and then patted her head. Her heart felt warm.

Back when she was at school, one of her classmates was her neighbour, so they naturally knew her parents and their favourite line. Her entire class joked and teased her with the line: "It's all because you're not a boy."

She barely had friends.

The two soon fell asleep that night. It was warm and cozy under their quilt. Tan Jing's heart wasn't cold anymore.

From that day, she would go wherever Lin Miao went, and do whatever Lin Miao did.

Her team joked that she and Lin Miao were conjoined twins. If they saw one of them, the other one would be right with her. However, Tan Jing didn't care. She was Lin Miao's best friend, and no one was going to change that.

However, she then realized that Lin Miao had an older brother, and she liked her older brother more.

No, it wasn't that Lin Miao liked her older brother more, it was only because her older brother could only visit weekly.

Little Tan Jing comforted herself, thinking that all was fine as he only showed up on a weekly basis, so she was still Lin Miao's best friend.

Then, Lin Miao became her older brother, brother Shui.

It felt as if they also became a family.

Tan Jing felt satisfied, very satisfied. She had felt love and care that her parents had neglected to give.

Brother Shui would bring her snacks, wake her up in the morning, blow-dry her hair from time to time, and even control her from buying snacks from outside.