“When somebody loves you, it means that they see something in you”

– Nathan?

– Zhang Mei said that she liked me.

– Right. That’s a… That’s a good thing, isn’t it? And do you… Do you think that you might have those kind of feelings, too?

– I don’t know.

– Hmm.

– I’ve been trying to work it out. But… I found a formula. I just can’t understand it.

– Well, as far as I know, Nathan, no one ever has.

– I know that when… When I’m around her, my brain works differently. And my body feels strange and I don’t know what it means or why it matters.

– Why it matters? It matters because… Well, when… When somebody loves you, it means that they see something in you… That they think is worth something. So it sort of… It adds value to you. But it can be hard… You know, when you love someone and they… They show no sign that they love you back, then it’s… Then it’s unequal. Or, um… When… When someone you love… ls subtracted from you… Then it feels like, you know, that your value is less than it was. Does that make sense?

– Nathan & Julie (“X+Y”, A Brilliant Young Mind).