Looking North Toward Miaochuan

Lin Wei grew up poor, with only his grandmother to rely on. Before starting school, he went to town to earn his tuition and happened to meet a cold-faced, adorable young master from the city at the bus station.

The boy said nothing and simply tossed him a packet of strawberry jelly.

Later, the young master became his little shadow.

Two children nobody wanted knelt together in a ruined temple, made a wish, and promised to stay the best of friends forever.

The night before they parted, Cheng Che turned his pocket money into a thick stack of postage stamps and shoved them into Lin Wei's hands. "One letter a day. Don't forget, not even once."

Lin Wei really did write ninety-nine letters.

Not a word came back.

He saved up enough for the fare and traveled over mountains and rivers to Cheng Che's city.

But then he heard: "What's so great about that Godforsaken place? Why would anyone want to go back?"

So the young master's world really didn't need a playmate from the mud.

Years later, they met again. Cheng Che grabbed him in the morning light, his eyes brimming with frantic longing and pain.

"Lin Wei, why did you stop wanting me?"

Lin Wei coldly shook him off. "I broke my promise. I regret it. So what?"

He'd long since learned to bury the part of himself that needed strawberry jelly and promises in the soil of Miaochuan.

Until he accidentally opened Cheng Che's drawer...

It was crammed with letters addressed to Miaochuan and a stack of long-expired tickets.

After they made up, Lin Wei discovered that his childhood friend was no longer the well-behaved boy he remembered.

"Cheng Che gets up to all sorts of things behind my back!"

Lin Wei hadn't paid it much mind, until one night he saw Cheng Che lying covered in wounds in an old warehouse after putting himself in danger. Only then did he understand the truth behind his silence.

"Don't be afraid. I'll stay with you."

1. Main couple: devoted top X resilient bottom

2. Secondary couple: rough-and-ready top X highly educated beauty bottom

3. Slow-burn, realistic story about growing up and clashing social classes

4. Flawed characters, each struggling and making their own choices

Coming soon: Misaligned, the blurb:

Rekindled romance, a groveling ex, and life in a rented apartment

Arthouse film director top (scheming charmer) X guesthouse owner bottom (pure-hearted and sunny)

When he saw his ex again, the man had become an internationally renowned director, while He Yu was covered in dust and sand, fresh from digging his way out of the dunes in Hexi.

The sandstorm stung his eyes. He put on his sunglasses and ran.

Only after he got back to his guesthouse did he discover that the high-profile tenant his staff had been talking about was his college sweetheart, Qin Xiao.

Back then, he'd chased after him shamelessly, and it hadn't ended well.

Five years later, He Yu had learned his lesson. Once he'd collected the rent, he avoided Qin Xiao whenever he could.

But the man who had once tossed him aside like garbage had suddenly changed. When He Yu went out to scout locations, Director Qin quietly followed his car. When He Yu ate at the inn, Director Qin washed his hands and cooked for him. When He Yu went out to look at the stars, Qin Xiao even had to come sit beside him and ask, "Are you cold?"

He Yu shuddered, and the faint scar on his face began to ache along with him.

At last, he lost patience and snapped, "Are you possessed or something?"

Despondency fell into Qin Xiao's eyes. "Can we... get back together?"

He used to be a top student in Haida University's finance program, the singing champion of the Southeast region, and a handsome man who drew plenty of attention. Qin Xiao, meanwhile, had dropped out to pursue his dream as an artist. He was so poor he could only afford a basement room, and he wouldn't even spare He Yu a glance.

Now He Yu had nothing, and Qin Xiao was successful and clinging to him?

He Yu stared at him in alarm. "I have no money, no looks, and no connections now. What are you trying to trick me into this time?"

In 2008, He Yu was a freshman, a headstrong young man full of enthusiasm. He hid his identity and sang at a bar. When he met Qin Xiao, a mysterious, pretentious artsy type, he was completely swept away by this beautiful man, who was gentle and doting despite living in poverty. He plunged headfirst into his first love and couldn't find his way out.

Time passed, and youth slipped by in a haze. As graduation approached, reality forced its way into every conversation. Only then did He Yu realize what Qin Xiao's indulgence had always meant:

He didn't care. He wouldn't take responsibility. He wouldn't make a commitment...

It all came down to one parting remark: "You chose this, didn't you?"

On a rainy night in Haicheng, He Yu was struggling to secure his future and his life was in danger. Then he saw Qin Xiao walking by with someone else, a smile on his face that He Yu had never seen before.

Qin Xiao's angry, decisive voice echoed in his ears, just as it had a few days ago: "Get lost! From now on, whether you live or die has nothing to do with me!"

He Yu's plea for help caught in his throat. He could no longer call out the name he loved so much. A knife flashed, and he realized there was no escaping tonight. It had been fated from the moment he met Qin Xiao...

But he didn't know that Qin Xiao had smiled because someone had finally mentioned He Yu to him during those few days. He'd said:

"It's probably for the best that Xiao He left. I'm not good enough for him."

*A realistic story about youth and dreams, love and indifference.

*Flashbacks interwoven with the present

*Flawed characters

*Some aspects of the entertainment industry, all fictional

The story is expected to begin around September 20!

(If you're interested, please add it to your collection! It's my next story. Love you all~)

Theme: Live toward the sun and follow the light.