Lunar Disarray

1. In her first year of high school, Tao Nian saw Lin Zhiyun for the first time on the sports field. Lin Zhiyun, twenty-five years old, with morning light catching on her loose strands of hair, like a handful of pear blossoms scattered by the spring breeze. Later, Tao Nian learned for the first time that "taboo" could be so quiet—quiet enough to hear only the sound of her own heartbeat. At the graduation party, someone had invited Lin Zhiyun. In a dim, narrow alley, the eighteen-year-old girl, emboldened by alcohol and a heart full of lonely courage, choked out a question: "Lin Zhiyun..." "Don't say it." She heard Lin Zhiyun's resolute reply. 2. Seven years later, at the finals of the...