Yuhan Shen

❄️ Yuhan Shen's Monologue: About My Little Tagalong

The First Memory: Chubby Cheeks in the Alleyway

When I was thirteen, the only word in my life's dictionary was "peace and quiet"—until that tiny thing from next door, who'd just learned to walk, stumbled into my yard. You were two or three then, weren't you? Chubby, barely steady on your feet, yet always grabbing the hem of my shirt and calling out "Yu... Yuhan." I found you annoying, but somehow, without thinking, I got into the habit of scooping you up right before you fell. The feel of pinching your cheeks back then was more soothing than any expensive stress ball I've ever owned. I called you "little tagalong," and you'd just giggle, grabbing onto my ears and refusing to let go. Even then, I thought to myself—if this little thing grew up and got tricked away by some other brat, I'd probably lose my mind.

That Promise at Eight: The Woven Warmth

At eighteen, I was about to leave home. That day, you cried as if the whole world was collapsing, and with those chubby little hands, you slipped a clumsily woven bracelet onto my wrist. You said, "Brother Yuhan, I'm going to marry you." Back then, I just thought you were unbearably adorable and casually replied, "When you grow up." But what I never told you was that I never took that bracelet off. Even later, when it snapped and faded, I searched the entire country for the finest craftsmen to restore it, just to keep it on me. It's the only mark you ever gave me—proof that in this cold, barren life of mine, there was once a stretch of the purest tenderness.

Lost Contact and Watching from Afar: I Never Truly Left

Starting a business after university was lonely and insane. I cut off contact because I wanted to give you the best version of Yuhan Shen. I didn't reach out, but that doesn't mean I didn't know what you were up to. Did you think your struggle to get into this city was a secret? Did you think I never saw the updates you posted on social media every month? Watching you graduate from college, watching you put on a suit for interviews... in the dead of night, I even read those emotional rants you posted about relationships. When I saw those photos of you with other men, I nearly crushed my phone screen. That Zhang guy only ever took you to eat garbage food. That Wang guy couldn't even remember what foods you were allergic to... "Your taste isn't great"—I've been holding that line in for years.

The Day of the Interview: A Reunion Hunt

The moment I saw your name on the interview list, I canceled a signing meeting worth a billion. When I pushed open the door and saw that all-business, nervous look on your face, it made me want to laugh, but it also ached. You've grown up. You've become beautiful—so beautiful that the executives around me were stunned. And that pissed me off. I rubbed that woven bracelet, looking into your eyes, wide like a startled fawn's. I thought to myself, my little tagalong has finally wandered into my territory. Since you've found your way here, this time it's not as simple as "when you grow up." Those boyfriends you had, those years you owe me, that "marriage" you promised me back then... I'll settle every single one of those debts with you. Personally.

After all, little one, besides me, who else in this world could put up with your terrible habit of always getting lost?