The Ebb Tide

[Advance Reservation: The Wall-Stealer's Edge, please add to your collection] Wen Zhiyu had forgotten how she and Gu Tanjuan had begun. A rainy night, a corridor's end. He was with his friends, slender in a black shirt, a silver watch catching the eye. Beneath his scholarly air, his mature charm shone through without effort. It was like a moment of impulse, or a fleeting affair. Their relationship began without warning and ended just as quietly. He was a scion of an eminent family, and an unattainable presence in the world of the wealthy. Wen Zhiyu remembered his status as a young CEO, but even more vividly, she remembered how, amid the hubbub, he lazily rolled a ball across the table with his long fingers, then leaned down to teach her how to put spin on it, his tenderness on full display. "You've got a real talent for this. Keep going." He glanced at her, smiling. - For Gu Tanjuan, romance would never be as important as fame and fortune. He had always been surrounded by accomplished, cultured people, and had never let pleasure distract him. Yet somehow, he was caught in that gentle rain. After they had gone their separate ways for a long time, he returned to the place where it had all happened. On the windowsill where they had once shared a quiet moment, he found a piece of paper with her name on it. He remembered that night, when she had nestled in his arms and asked him to teach her to write properly. He knew he had fallen. It was rainy season again. Wen Zhiyu finished work as usual and headed home, but stopped when she reached the building. Beneath the night sky, a slender man stood holding an umbrella, his gentle eyes fixed on her. He was as tender as the rain that night. "Yuyu, I've been waiting for you for a long time." - Wen Zhiyu's secret crush had lasted ten years. So long that she was almost unable to remember when she had first met Gu Tanjuan. At eighteen, Gu Tanjuan was a genius at No. 32 High School and the city's top scorer on the college entrance exam. As Wen Zhiyu worked through practice papers on campus, she would sometimes look up and listen to the announcements, hearing his low, clear voice over the speakers. At twenty-five, her family arranged a blind date for her. She did not want to go, never imagining that she would run into him by chance through work. No one knew she had saved a message she never sent: A secret crush will never see the light of day. Gu Tanjuan, may your future be bright, and may you always be happy and well. Later, Gu Tanjuan finally found the woman who had waited for him so long, and returned her feelings: Wen Zhiyu, you are every one of my impossible dreams in this world. -I want to dive into this world to love you, protect you, and give you every bit of romance. Mature and rational x reserved and quiet Noble heir x sensitive woman City romance / secret crush comes true / grown-up push and pull Note: The work and school details in this novel are fictional. This is not a career-focused story. Please bear with the writing. Neither the male nor female lead is perfect. See Chapter One for content warnings. Thank you. - Blurb for The Wall-Stealer's Edge: During college, Qu Yi's impression of Zhou Siwei could be summed up in a few words: famous, distant, and difficult to get along with. Back then, he was the heir to a venture capital group, and she had little to do with him. Later, after she started working, Zhou Siwei became the client for her risk assessments, and their interactions gradually increased. She was dating Lu Yu. Zhou Siwei had been Lu Yu's college roommate and was now the true power broker in the business world. She and Zhou Siwei were merely business acquaintances, exchanging polite greetings. There was no reason to expect her life to be anything but smooth and steady. Until one day, after Lu Yu got drunk at a dinner, he called her to pick him up. Qu Yi thought someone had already helped him into a car. In the drizzle, she folded her umbrella and opened the door of a black Lincoln. Zhou Siwei was sitting in the back seat. She froze. "Sorry." Zhou Siwei glanced up at her, his voice calm. "Lu Yu is over there." Qu Yi nodded and was about to get out when he spoke behind her. "Do you want to tell him that I was the one who took you home last time?" - In Qu Yi's mind, she would marry Lu Yu. Their relationship was steady, their feelings secure. They seemed like an ideal couple to take the next step. Until their relationship began to teeter on the brink, and they found themselves at odds. Qu Yi finally asked, "Mr. Zhou, we're just business partners." Zhou Siwei looked at her. "For now. That might change." "I'm getting married." "Yes. Does he know we've kissed?" Beyond the bounds, amid the tide. They kept the distance they were supposed to, yet always seemed to be drowning in undercurrents. Zhou Siwei had always wanted to "steal" Qu Yi away, but never found the right "moment." Qu Yi would never know that someone had been watching her quietly, secretly, through all those years she had never noticed. Zhou Siwei had waited for her far longer than seven years. The silence after a blizzard is like an empty world. As darkness falls, who will be the last light left? Business magnate x risk-control analyst Male lead's secret crush / stealing someone's partner / restrained tension / powerful man pursues his wife Theme: Healing and positivity are the most important things in life.