In Viking, a red storm warning is issued only 2% of the time each year. The odds of a separation and reunion both happening on stormy nights are just one in ten thousand.
Yun Sheng always thought that after all those years, the grown-up version of himself could face anything with composure. But when he saw Qin Huaixu again, the heart he thought had grown strong crumbled at a glance.
People believe time can make us forget everything. But nothing we try to forget with time can withstand a reunion.
The reunion he had rehearsed countless times in his dreams happened when he was at his most wretched and helpless...
His atavistic syndrome had flared up. With his pheromones in disarray, he lay limp on the floor, his bangs damp with sweat and his face deathly pale. He couldn't even hold on to his inhibitor injector, which slipped from his hand.
"Mr. Yun, you dropped this."
It took him a long moment to reach out. He tried to keep his hand from shaking, but it was no use.
"Thank you."
His pride wouldn't let him show such a wretched side of himself to the person he had once loved. Bracing himself against the wall, he forced himself to stand, inch by inch. His back stayed ramrod straight, as if that might let him cling to the last shred of his dignity.
Qin Huaixu asked indifferently, "Mr. Yun, you seem to need help."
"I don't need..." Yun Sheng blurted out, wanting to refuse, but another sharp stab of pain swept over him. An involuntary groan cut off the rest of his words.
Qin Huaixu crouched down, deftly removed the cap from the injector, then grabbed his wrist.
"Mr. Yun, whoever it was, they wouldn't just stand by and let you die."
As he pulled out the needle, a bright red bead of blood welled up. Qin Huaixu gently wiped it away with his fingertip.
"Why isn't your alpha here?"
Outside, torrential rain beat hard against the window, just as heavily as it had seven years ago.
"Whether he's here or not, what does it have to do with you?"
Everyone loves differently. Some people are so devoted that they wipe away their tears and keep loving you. Others are so level-headed that they weigh everything and let go. They were both the latter. Each thought they were making the better choice for the other, never realizing it was a case of The Gift of the Magi.
Theme: Nothing we try to forget with time can withstand a reunion.
