Oxygen Deprivation

[The print edition of Lu Shang is now available. Thank you for your support!] #Slow-paced slice of life, mutual salvation# [Bottom's perspective] After fainting during PE class in eighth grade, Tong Yusheng was diagnosed with a rare illness. He was constantly starved of oxygen and could suffocate at any moment. With his sweet talk, high emotional intelligence, and frail health, Tong Yusheng naturally became the little sun everyone held dear. Then the new semester began, and he met a handsome deskmate who seemed even more troubled than he was. This person was lonely, withdrawn, and depressed, always shutting himself off from others. He was just like Tong Yusheng had been when he was first diagnosed. [Top's perspective] Wu Qiaoyi had Asperger's syndrome, along with depression and mania. He was almost incapable of expressing or accepting emotions, and for a time he had even lost the will to go on living. After transferring back to China, his new deskmate was a frail boy who struggled through each day, barely clinging to life. Watching him struggle so hard just to stay alive, Wu Qiaoyi found himself relating to him for once. They were both people whom life had cruelly cast aside. Perhaps they could find some time to exchange notes on how to be sick of the world. Later, Wu Qiaoyi realized he had misjudged him. He would take Wu Qiaoyi to watch the sunset along the long road home from school. He would sit by the window at night, counting which star shone the brightest. And when Wu Qiaoyi's emotions spiraled until he could barely breathe, he would gently cup his hands, then mysteriously hold them out in front of him. "Don't be sad. Want me to share some fresh air with you?" [Character profiles] Bottom: Physical illness + optimistic little sun + literary youth Top: Mental illness + withdrawn, childish introvert + emotionally stunted [Reading guide] 1. Coming-of-age school story, mutual salvation. 2. Slow-paced slice of life, healing themes. 3. There is a side couple. Please don't read if that bothers you. 4. Happy ending for the leads, 1v1. [Please check out my completed works!] "The Wandering Bird" (lighthearted BE) When Tern learned he had less than a year to live, all he said was, "Holy crap, that's amazing." He called his boyfriend of seven years, Ji Nanfeng, and muddled through a pile of excuses, trying to figure out how to break up with him. But when he heard the gentle question on the other end of the line, he remembered the face that could heal anything that hurt. He thought it over, then laughed and said, "I miss you, darling. Let's go get barbecue tonight!" * Tern joked to Ji Nanfeng as he held the medical report. "It's their fault for saying that chasing you used up all the good luck I had in this life." Ji Nanfeng said nothing. He tucked the blanket around him and silently kissed his fever-warm forehead. Tern lifted his head and kissed Ji Nanfeng's face again. "But I don't think they understand. These years with you have been worth more than living to a hundred." * Tern's dream was to travel to the Arctic with Ji Nanfeng and photograph a bird that shared his name: The Arctic tern, the migratory bird that flies the greatest distance in the world. Every year, they travel back and forth between the Arctic and Antarctic, spending their whole lives in flight. "You know, migratory birds have another name: travelers passing through," Tern told Ji Nanfeng. "Like me, they spend their whole lives passing through the world." "The journey will be long, long indeed, but with the south wind carrying them along, the terns won't be lonely." #Airheaded, looks-obsessed, devoted bottom x aloof, gentle top# Theme: May the world be free of suffering, and may everyone enjoy peace and happiness.