A Little Red Flower

Wei Yihang Jackson Yee is a cynical and reclusive teenager who has been in remission since a brain tumor operation two years ago. After meeting fellow brain tumor patient Ma Xiaoyuan Liu Haocun, Wei begins to open up socially as they share imaginative travel adventures and try to live as “ordinary people” despite their illnesses.

As their friendship grows, Wei gains a deeper appreciation for his family, who have supported him unconditionally. He sees his grandmother volunteering to sell her house to fund his medical expenses, with his uncles and aunts saying they would do the same, bringing his father to tears.

Wei is eventually allowed to travel to a lake in Qinghai that he once saw in a hallucination where he was playing with an unknown girl. Ma and Wei set off on the journey together. However, Ma faints on the train and is hospitalized with a grim prognosis.

Wei accompanies and cares for Ma during her final days, including shaving his head and conjuring a potion of no return. During this time, Wei and his mother discuss death, with Wei’s parents recording and sending him a video depicting their life in case of Wei’s death. Wei cries as he watches their video, now comforted by the fact that his parents will be able to carry forward even if he is no longer around.

After Ma dies, Wei packs up her belongings. One year later, Wei finishes his classes in college. He then makes a trip to Qinghai by himself, where he finally arrives at the lake he frequently hallucinates. There, Wei sees images of himself with Ma playing in the waters. It occurs to him that those images are not hallucinations, but life in a parallel universe where he, Ma, and all his fellow cancer friends are healthy and living ordinary lives.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:55