Chapter 52: Three types of love:

This chapter is back in Hui Qing's POV:

I looked at Qi Yan and muttered "Have you never heard of the phrase that you'll experience three types of love?

The first type is the first love. This love feels like a fairy tale. It's that all-consuming puppy love and one that, at the time, you think will last forever. Often, we experience our first love in high school, and usually, it ends because the two people either grow apart or because of some trivial argument that the relationship simply isn't strong enough to withstand. This love is usually more surface level, with more importance placed on how the relationship might look to others. While it certainly feels like true love at the time, it's not usually the deep, raw love that you'll experience later on. The heartbreak can feel immense, initially, but you usually recover from it quickly.

What We Learn in this love is: That falling in love is the most incredible feeling in the world, but that not all relationships last forever, and they certainly aren't always like they appear to be in the movies.

The second is intense love. It's usually the one that turns our world upside down. As we fall into this intense love story, the relationship becomes a mirror in our soul: we see all our insecurities, needs, and desires staring back at us. In this relationship, we may experience jealousy, fear, and self-doubt that we've never felt before. The relationship comes with massive highs and dramatic lows. We often try to mould the other half into our perfect partner, and we try to mould ourselves to become theirs. This is the love that feels like a rollercoaster and the one that can leave us feeling guarded, distrusting, and hurt. The heartbreak from this relationship can be indescribably painful, but it is also through this heartbreak that we grow, change, and evolve while finding the inner strength and resilience we didn't know we had.

What We Learn: What we do want from love, and what we don't.

The third is unconditional love.

After we've recovered from the heartbreak of the intense love and we've begun to heal and cultivate self-love, then comes the unexpected love. The one that comes from nowhere and feels just completely and utterly right. There are no games, and when you are with them you simply feel like you are at home. You embrace all that they are, all their imperfections, and all their nuances. You feel more yourself with them than you ever have before, and you constantly inspire each other to be the best versions of yourselves. When you face an obstacle or a challenge in the relationship, you work together to overcome it because you are both committed to your future. This is the unconditional love that marks the beginning of forever, and you thank the universe every day for bringing them into your world.

What We Learn: That true love does exist and that it is possible to feel completely safe, protected, and adored by another human," I explained.

"You said this is your first love, yet this is already my third love. It came so unexpectedly that I hope it will continue down this path," I added. What's wrong with me today? I'm acting so semimetal. Qi Yan clinked his frap with mine and chorused, "To all our dreams and hopes,". I also chorused after him. After he finished his meal, we took a lot of pictures of the sunset overlooking the 5 coloured pool. It really was an amazing view; best of all, it was free. Choosing the best picture we took, I photoshopped it so that I could look a bit slimmer and posted it on Weibo with the captions: I hope everyone can follow their dreams and succeed.

On the way back home, Qi Ya asked me who my first love was since he knew who my second love was. I looked at him seriously and whispered, "He's not here anymore,"...