Meteor Garden -2001- -

She almost smiled. Almost.

“We’re going to lose,” Si said, his forehead against hers. meteor garden -2001-

Not a real storm—though the rain was lashing Taipei like a punishment—but the storm of consequences. Shancai’s father called, his voice thin and shattered. The health inspector had shown up at the stall. A surprise inspection. They’d found violations that didn’t exist. The stall was shut down. Indefinitely. She almost smiled

Someone—probably Xi Men, who had a cruel sense of humor—spotted Shancai leaving the Meteor Garden one evening. By Monday morning, her desk was covered in them. LOSER. EAT DIRT. F4 SAYS: GO HOME. Not a real storm—though the rain was lashing

Shancai stepped into the doorway of the rotunda, holding up her empty popsicle stick like a tiny white flag. “It’s just me,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “The wild vegetable.”

“Wild vegetables grow anywhere,” she said. “Even in meteor craters.”