The Last Fireworks of Summer

[Shen Yuye x Su Wanning | independent screenwriter of realistic healing stories x healing illustrator]

Su Wanning always kneads her feelings into paper.

Her sketchbook stays hidden in the back of a drawer, and so many words are stuck in her throat.

She is used to shrinking into the corners of a crowd, expecting no one to notice her. The days pass quietly, one page at a time.

One evening, in an old alley, Shen Yuye stopped beside her, his gaze falling on the drawings she hadn't dared to lay out.

"You don't always have to hide yourself away."

He had written countless stories and witnessed countless partings.

The distance ingrained in him couldn't be washed away, and he no longer believed in lasting warmth.

Fireworks rose over the river as the crowd chattered around them.

They stood a little apart, neither saying a word.

Then one night, he was the first to let down his guard, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I've been lonely for so long. Could I borrow your kindness and spend the rest of my life with you?"

Su Wanning looked up at him. Something in the part of her heart that had curled in on itself for years loosened a little.

She could see all the cracks in herself, and glimpse the desolation at his core.

They didn't insist on fixing each other's broken pieces. They were just two people who had both been hurt, who happened to cross paths.

They were willing to try to keep moving through life side by side.

Two complicated adults try to catch each other amid the fireworks.

[Reading Guide]

⚠️ A slow-burn story grounded in reality. There is no instant healing, and growth comes with setbacks.

1. A slow-burn, realistic story with a narrative style and plenty of space between the lines. The characters' inner thoughts are rarely laid bare. Emotions are conveyed through the setting and details, with sensory descriptions and gestures doing much of the work. It's a slice-of-life story without major dramatic conflicts.

2. Both leads carry old wounds. They struggle and retreat, and their growth is repeatedly set back. Love cannot erase the scars of the past.

3. Focuses on the little things in everyday life, and on supporting and accompanying each other. This is not a one-sided rescue.

4. Happy ending.

The story was inspired by Yan Renzhong's "The Last Fireworks of Summer Night."

It was this song that brought the first summer-night breeze and a burst of fireworks.

The complete outline of this book has been registered with Quezao Copyright Depository. Plagiarism, using the outline or character concepts, and unauthorized adaptation for any kind of commercial work are strictly prohibited. Infringements will be pursued.

Theme: Love isn't about making each other perfect. Allowing setbacks and timidity, they learn to make peace with themselves and their past in the little moments of everyday life.