My Heart Stirs, Slowly

[Complete; my upcoming book, Galaxy Trajectory, is available to preorder. If you're interested, please visit my profile and add it to your collection.] 1. Ming Yao will always remember that spring evening when she was fifteen. At the edge of the sports field, clouds blazed like fire. She happened to look up and saw a boy beneath an apricot tree, idly playing with a basketball in his hands, smiling with carefree mischief. That one glance was enough to make her fall for him, and she couldn't forget him for years. Just as their relationship was growing closer, a family upheaval forced Ming Yao to transfer schools and leave. On the eve of their parting, Ming Yao gathered her courage and used light as a metaphor for Chen Fang, subtly confessing that she liked him. The boy fell silent for a moment. Looking into her eyes, he said earnestly, "You shouldn't chase the light. You should be your own light." 2. Years later, they meet again. Just as Chen Fang once told her, Ming Yao has become her own light, a renowned screenwriter in her field. The once brilliant young man, however, has fallen from his pedestal. His eyes are weary, with none of the youthful confidence he once had. Ming Yao helps Chen Fang emerge from the shadows of the past. Their relationship regains the closeness of their youth, and she can no longer suppress the feelings she's kept hidden in her heart. After a get-together one day, Ming Yao confesses to Chen Fang. Chen Fang arches a brow and smiles. "Haven't my actions lately made it clear?" "Made what clear?" Ming Yao asks, bewildered. Chen Fang leans in, his dark eyes fixed on her, and slowly says, "I'm pursuing you." 3. One day, after she and Chen Fang officially get together, Ming Yao writes in the diary where she has recorded all her feelings for him since their youth: "At last, my unrequited love has come true." But later, a line in bold handwriting appears on the diary, filled with a young girl's feelings: "This isn't unrequited love coming true. It's two people finding their way to each other." - "It took me a long time to fall for you, but I'll love you for a lifetime." * Gentle and steadfast x roguish and rebellious * From school days to city life / reunion after years apart / healing each other / unrequited love * Note: Both are each other's first and only love. Readers who prefer chaste romance are welcome. Blurb first written on June 22, 2021; revised on August 6, 2022. - Blurb for Galaxy Trajectory: 1. Wen Ting and Shen Jingxu grew up together, but they are completely different people. She lives under someone else's roof, follows the rules, and does nothing but study. He is a pampered golden boy, wild and carefree, with a different girlfriend every time. No one thinks they could end up together, but Wen Ting has never stopped loving Shen Jingxu. At a party, someone who is pursuing Wen Ting confesses to her. Amid the noisy cheers, Shen Jingxu walks over. Wen Ting freezes as Shen Jingxu asks her in front of everyone, word by word, "Are you choosing him, or me?" 2. Years after their breakup, they meet again. Shen Jingxu is still exceptional, a rising star in venture capital, while Wen Ting is just as impressive, her writing praised as worth its weight in gold. On New Year's Eve, their families gather for a reunion dinner, and the elders seat them together. Wen Ting can't refuse, and they even tease her that she used to cuddle up with him in the same bed as a child, but now she's shy. After dinner, Wen Ting goes out to the terrace for some air and to sober up, where she runs into Shen Jingxu, who has come out to smoke. Wen Ting turns to leave, but Shen Jingxu grips her slender wrist and leans close, speaking in his usual shameless tone. "Do they know we still sleep in the same bed now that we're grown up?" At that moment, Wen Ting feels the tooth marks on her inner thighs ache faintly. 3. Even after they reconcile for good, Wen Ting still hasn't managed to give Shen Jingxu the love letter she wrote him. One day, while clearing out old things at home, Wen Ting comes across the letter by chance. She opens it and finds a passage on the back of the yellowed paper: Shen Jingxu's reply to her. "Others ask me whether what I feel for you is love or possessiveness. I didn't know the answer when I was young. It wasn't until I saw this letter that I found it. Possessiveness grows out of love. Wen Ting, I love you far more than I did when I was eighteen." * Clear-headed and reserved x wild and reckless; freelance writer x venture capital rising star * Childhood friends / unrequited love fulfilled / rekindled romance / bad boy turns over a new leaf / from school days to city life / happy ending Theme: As you chase your dreams and pursue the light, become a light that illuminates the path ahead.