It was Chinese New Year and Wei Yang was feeling lonely and miserable, stuck in his little hostel room in South Vile High School, America, thousands of miles away from his hometown in Xian, China. He stared out of the dirty window, resorting to people-watching to curb his boredom. Many people were scurrying through the snow, rushing off to their own individual daily activities. With nothing to do, Wei Yang simply decided to take a little stroll. With his winter coat in hand, he dissolved into the crowd.

Suddenly, he chanced upon a lass with such a doll-like face that it stunned all of his senses momentarily. Her eyes sparkled like jewels in the sun and her smile could melt the coldest of hearts. Her hair was glossy, flowing like the waves of the sea gently lapping upon the shore. She seemed so pure, so sensual and so perfect. Wei Yang just stood there rooted to the ground, gawping at her beauty as she walked towards him. He couldn’t move and he couldn’t speak. That was how they met, on a fateful Chinese New Year celebration for foreign students. Unfortunately, before he could pluck up enough courage to introduce himself, she disappeared into the crowd. Left there feeling utterly lost, Wei Yang noticed that her presence had made the world a brighter place. Feeling dejected and frustrated, he trudged along the snow-paved path, kicking himself for missing such an opportunity.

As if fate had brought them together, he met her once again after school on a Friday afternoon. After softball practice, Wei Yang packed his things slowly, feeling no need to rush. Soon, everyone left the place and he was alone or so he thought. While walking towards the students’ car park, he heard some soft, muffled sobs. He spotted a pitiful figure, a girl, sitting down on the pavement, alone, weeping quietly. She looked familiar. She shielded her face, trying to wipe the tears away.

“Hey, are you all right?” asked Wei Yang. Startled by his sudden presence, the girl gave a soft squeak. She looked up, and Wei Yang caught his breath. He recognized the striking features at once. It was her. The girl he had missed. Here was his chance again. He vowed to himself that he would not let go of this precious, second chance. Sitting next to her, he asked her what the matter was. She explained to him that she had misplaced her car keys and she had no way of going back home. He looked at the tears that should never have been on such an angelic face and felt his heart break, reaching out to this poor lost beautiful soul in need. Of course he would help her. Who could possibly ignore this damsel in distress? He offered her a ride home, and all throughout the journey, they talked. That ride home changed everything. Wei Yang and Melissa became an instant couple. Almost overnight, they became the talk of the school, inseparable, a modern day Romeo and Juliet.

“Hey Mel, my parents are coming for a visit tonight to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Care to join me?” asked Wei Yang cheerfully on the eve of Chinese New Year. “Your family? Sure, I can’t wait! I’ll see you tonight. Love you,” Melissa promptly squealed. Quickly bidding goodbye to each other, they parted. Wei Yang rushed home to prepare traditional Chinese dishes for the dinner while Melissa went home to primp herself up.

The sleek metal watch on his hand ticked 8 o’clock, but there was no sight of Melissa. He tried to call her, but the call went unanswered. Suddenly, the phone rang. Wei Yang pounced on it. It was Melissa’s mother. He could hear her sobbing and instantly, his heart began to race. His instincts told him that something terrible had happened. Melissa’s father then took the phone and told him the dreaded news; Melissa had met with an accident on her way to see him. The doctor told them that Melissa had a brain hemorrhage and had passed away at 7.55 pm.

It was such an ugly, terrible coincidence. The receiver slipped from his hands, his legs felt weak and his world closed in. Wei Yang promptly felt bitter tears well up in his eyes. Wei Yang rushed to the hospital just in time to see the doctor wheeling Melissa out from the operating room. She wore an alluring red dress, and even in death, she looked beautiful and peaceful. The doctor then handed Wei Yang a keychain. It was supposed to be a Chinese New Year gift from Melissa to Wei Yang, her beloved.

He wondered that if he had never invited her for dinner, this life-scarring tragedy would never have happened.

He wondered if it was all his fault…

Something in Wei Yang died when Melissa passed away and moved on to a different world. Another year came and went. Wei Yang never totally recovered from the tragic death of Melissa. Although he managed to finish high school and was soon to leave for his home country, his heart continued to mourn the death of his first love, Melissa. The only thing that helped him through the heart-wrenching, lonely nights was the keychain with the smiling picture of Melissa that reminded him of their young, sweet innocent love.

This is a Chinese New year love story.