Their story stretched from the height of summer into late autumn, from their first meeting into a deep and lasting love. She was there as he grew up, for eight years, no more and no less: just the right amount of time.
When Wang Yuan was sixteen, he sat beneath the starry sky with her, gazing up at the deep blue night. His sensitivity pierced a hole in Ming Nuo’s heart and planted a seed there.
That winter, on Christmas Eve, Ming Nuo walked alone through the streets of Tokyo while he sat inside an awards ceremony. One was calm, the other thrilled. The moment Wang Yuan received his trophy, all he wanted was to tell her how happy he was. But on the other end of the phone, there was only the busy signal, with an ocean between them.
Four years passed. Wang Yuan had become a dazzling young star, adored by millions. But at the most dangerous moment, she was the only one who shielded him with her own body, and she was left with a scar that would never fade.
The secret love he had buried for four years finally began to see the light. Wang Yuan’s shameless confession eventually took root in Ming Nuo’s life. He remembered how the birch trees on Rose Street rustled in the breeze that year, and how he had pinned her in his arms and kissed her, shamelessly. In that moment, time stood still, and the whole world became a golden silhouette.
Ming Nuo stood by Wang Yuan, doing everything she could to keep every storm at bay. He never saw how ruthless she could be, or how cold and merciless. Amid one misunderstanding after another, he stood beside another woman and condemned her.
He said, “Ming Nuo, I never thought you could be so cold-blooded, heartless, and selfish. You don’t control this whole world. No one will die without you.”
Ming Nuo held her head high. Her body trembled, but even as his harsh words struck her, she clung to the last of her pride. At last, just as he had wanted, she became truly cold and merciless, crushing her rival so thoroughly she could never rise again. When he saw two people standing at death’s door, Wang Yuan abandoned her once more. He did not know that this time, losing her would mean losing her forever.
Yi Yangqianxi held Ming Nuo as they waited for the ambulance, unable to hide the panic in his eyes.
Ming Nuo gave him a wistful smile, as if it took the last of her strength.
Night fell. They sat in their old meeting place, waiting for someone to return. Fireworks fell from the sky, the moonlight flowed like water, and when they reached out to trace that face again, they could no longer capture its unforgettable features.
They met again in another world. Ming Nuo sat in a wheelchair, watching the man on a giant screen sing the song he had written for her all those years ago, and wept uncontrollably. But life is long and time is short; neither of them could return to what they once were.
Wang Yuan, Ming Nuo, and Yi Yangqianxi are bound together by a tangled red thread.
If we meet again in another world, could you promise me a lifetime of love?
