Xu Zhimo met Lin Huiyin by chance in the London International Union. Huiyin was then 16 and beautiful. She was studying in a secondary school in London. She was good at Literature. The two fell in love the first time they saw each other.

They often went out together, talking and discussing about literature. Huiyin was impressed by Zhimo's knowledge in literature and his manner. Zhimo admired Huiyin's talent. The two grew fonder as time went by.

In 1920, Zhang Youyi, Zhimo's wife went to British to visit Zhimo. Zhimo and Huiyin feared that Youyi might discover their affair, so they wrote to each other in English, which Youyi did not understand. However, they realized that there was an invisible, unconquered wall between them and that was Youyi. Zhimo requested for a divorce. After they divorced, Huiyin also left Britan with his father and returned to China. Zhimo's fear of losing her led him back to China.

No sooner than Zhimo met Huiyin again, Huiyin agreed to marry Liang Sicheng, the son of Zhimo's most admired teacher Liang Qichao. The reason Huiyin chose Sicheng instead of Zhimo was that Zhimo had married once and she didn't want to live in the shadow of Youyi. Zhimo could not accept the fact and fell into a bottomless abyss of agony.

Though Zhimo knew that Huiyin would never come back to him, he could not stop loving Huiyin even after he married Lu Xiaoman. He seized every chance of get close to Huiyin, but Huiyin kept a distance between them.

Huiyin was the woman that Zhimo really loved throughout his life. They kept in touch until Zhimo died. Zhimo died in a plane crash when he was going to attend a talk conducted by Huiyin.

After Zhimo died, Huiyin suggested of setting up Zhimo scholarship for literature, building a Zhimo library and a museum for commemorating Zhimo.