A Fractured Balance, Hard to Cross

[Reckless, roguish senior + sunny, wild-hearted girl + ambiguous yet exclusive affection + clear-eyed and ruthless + a broken relationship that can’t be mended]

Zhao Shiji’s hand dropped completely to his side, his fingertips feeling empty, as if something were missing.

He looked at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing again. Unable to accept it, he pulled her into his arms, pressed his chin to her shoulder, and sobbed, “Zhou Ziyue, I like you.”

She had spent three years tangled up with him, with no title and no promise. This was the first time he had ever said it to her face: “I like you.”

Beneath the streetlight, Zhou Ziyue’s gaze remained calm. She gave a self-mocking smile and said, “But I don’t want to believe you anymore.”

*

Five years later, Zhou Ziyue looked at the person before her with an impassive expression. Her words held no warmth. “Thank you for mercilessly pushing me away when you were so full of joy. And I’m grateful you made me realize, once and for all, that you don’t deserve my passion.”

Zhao Shiji’s hand trembled slightly around his coffee cup. In a low voice, he asked, “Is there really no chance for us anymore?”

Looking at her unruffled face, he suddenly gave a self-mocking smile. “You’re still as ruthless as you were back then. You won’t leave me the slightest room to hope.”