Saying ‘NO’ is not easy. Especially when you don’t know how the other person will take it.
17- year old Zhou Yan learned it the hard way when she was set on fire by her classmate after rejecting his romantic advances. The poor girl suffered burns that left scars all over her body.
The perpetrator, Tao, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but that will never change what happened to Zhou.
But now, five years later, she rose from the setback and went public with her photos, sharing them on her Weibo page. Along with the photos bearing her scars, she also posted a poem about looking forward and enjoying what life has to offer.
Here’s the poem that she wrote:
I live in this
Shell that i don’t recognize,
Living like i am 16 years old.
I can’t face
This 21-year-old “Zhou Yan”
I’m still that girl who’s waiting for orange juice-flavored rain.
I always want to cry but am too afraid to cry out loud
Shh, the day is breaking
Everything is going to be fine.
You have to be the strongest child
To see the sun.
It takes a lot of courage to get back out there, Zhou Yan, and you did it so bravely. You’re an inspiration to all of us.
