Beyond the Curtain

[I searched and searched for so many years, certain that I would find you.]

As a boy, Zhan Yantang was restless and impetuous, so his mother sent him to live with his grandfather and learn calligraphy.

His grandfather was strict. Every day, Zhan had to fill fifty sheets with large characters before he was allowed to leave the study. He could not leave the house until he had mastered his lessons.

Zhan Yantang wasn't keen on it and often let his mind wander. Usually, he spent the whole day writing.

One day, fed up with practicing calligraphy, he was about to snap his brush when he heard a girl talking in the neighboring courtyard. A moment later, the sound of her voice was drowned out by a pipa.

Curious, he wanted to meet the girl playing it, but the tall, smooth courtyard wall was impossible for a young boy to climb. He never got to see her.

A month later, he was finally "released" and knocked on the neighbor's door, but no one answered. The pipa had fallen silent, and the girl had disappeared.

Years later, Zhan Yantang returned from an overseas assignment. His friend Huai An knew he loved opera and arranged a welcome-back gathering at the Bufa Teahouse.

The performance of The Battle of Dingjun Mountain was stirring. Zhan Yantang was enjoying himself when he heard the faint sound of a pipa. Something inside him stirred.

Following the sound, he entered a pavilion. A thin ink-wash curtain hung around it. Behind the curtain, a graceful young woman lowered her eyes and plucked the pipa strings with slender fingers.

A bird skimmed across the water, sending ripples across the pond and startling her.

"Do we know each other, sir?" She set down the pipa, parted the curtain, and asked him.

Zhan Yantang looked at her intently and replied, "No."

"Then..." The young woman bit her lip, about to say something.

Zhan Yantang spoke first. "Could we get to know each other?"

He introduced himself without waiting for an answer. "My name is Zhan Yantang."

The young woman nodded and held out her hand. "Hello, I'm Meng Xianyi."

He took her hand, and once he did, he never wanted to let go.

The wind picked up that day, making the thin curtain sway. Zhan Yantang heard the astonishing pipa music from his childhood again. Not astonishing because it was beautiful, but because it was so awful it made his ears hurt.

And yet it was that terrible pipa music that had stayed with him all these years.

● This is a short novel, about 120,000 characters.

● A low-key, sweet romance with no major upheavals or angst.

● See the first chapter for specific content warnings.

● Synopsis written on January 30, 2026, and a screenshot has been uploaded to Weibo.

Theme: I love you with all my heart