Stars Over the Wild Sea

[Due to health issues, this story has been delayed for too long, and I can't update it for now. I've already made it free. I'm very sorry about this. Once I'm feeling better, I'll do my best to finish it.]

[Astronomy professor x Chinese literature student]

*Road trip story / unrequited love

Blurb 1

After graduation, Xia Han boarded the old-fashioned green train Z164/165 from Shanghai to Tibet.

The train passed Qinghai Lake, crossed the Kunlun Mountains, and entered the uninhabited wilderness of Hoh Xil...

As they passed the Tanggula Mountains, she began to suffer from altitude sickness.

Snowflakes swirled outside the window. Rivers had frozen into sparkling glaciers, and the deep blue sky hung so low it seemed within reach.

Though her head throbbed from the lack of oxygen, she couldn't bear to miss a single sight beyond the observation window. She stared without blinking.

Suddenly, a warm, gentle voice spoke.

"Hello, are you feeling unwell?"

Xia Han slowly looked up. The first thing she saw was a well-defined left hand resting on a backpack strap. Looking higher, she met the man's dark eyes, which reflected her own image.

Just then, the train broadcast the famous love poem by Tsangyang Gyatso:

"I have traveled every road in the world, walking against the flow of time, only to meet you in this life..."

In that instant, she understood the meaning of this journey.

At 7:30 that evening, the train arrived in Lhasa on schedule. Watching the man's retreating figure, she thought that her journey was beginning in Tibet.

Blurb written December 13, 2020

Blurb 2

When Song Jiaqian found Xia Han, she was standing quietly on the grasslands, with cattle and sheep wandering behind her.

In the last glow of the setting sun, her white dress fluttered in the breeze against a vast expanse of green.

She gazed calmly at the colorful prayer flags fluttering beside her, showing no anger at the difficult situation she was in.

Only when she saw him did a trace of a smile finally appear on her face.

"I knew you'd come looking for me."

-

At a cruise ship's costume ball on the voyage from Bali to Australia, she broke with her usual style and wore a red backless gown, like a red rose just beginning to bloom.

As the ball went on, Song Jiaqian placed a hand on her back. The heat of his palm seeped into her porcelain-white, delicate skin.

Xia Han draped her arms around his neck, then suddenly leaned toward his handsome face. Their breaths mingled as she looked straight at him.

"Professor Song, you seem a little nervous."

At that moment, the passion in her eyes was every bit as intense as the heat of his palm.

Blurb 3

People say that snowy days in Australia are quiet, gentle, and romantic.

But Xia Han and Song Jiaqian didn't get along well there.

That is, until their final stop, Nepal, where an earthquake struck...

The enormous stone blocking Xia Han was moved aside. Before she could open her eyes, she fell into a familiar embrace. A hand gently shielded her eyes, which were unaccustomed to the bright light.

A moment later, his lips pressed against hers.

From that moment on, a deity descended to the mortal world.

From that moment on, at last, all was forgiven.

Blurb written June 10, 2021

A seemingly aloof young woman quietly wins over a gentle, unattainable professor, step by step, during their travels. Seven-year age gap. Both are each other's first.

[Reader's Guide]

1. A road trip story. They travel together later on. Route: Tibet - Bali - cruise - Australia - Nepal - back to campus.

2. The leads attend different schools, and the heroine is just about to graduate when the story begins.

3. After the trip, there will be scenes of them returning home and working at their universities.

4. The characters aren't perfect. Please don't assume the author's values are the same as those in the story.

5. The story contains many original details. The astronomy information comes from online sources, so please don't scrutinize it too closely.

Here's the blurb for my upcoming story, "The Splendor of Time"

What would you do if you met the love of your life at the very end of yours?

On the shores of Sardinia, Yu Shu met a handsome man of Chinese and Italian descent. He was tall and long-legged, and so breathtakingly handsome that he could make anyone swoon.

Later, in a charming little town, another unexpected encounter took them by surprise.

Later still, he said, "What am I supposed to do? From now on, whenever I see the sea, I think I'll only be able to think of you."

Yu Shu had to admit that she'd fallen for him.

But...

She had very little time left to live.

-Bad ending / short story

Theme: Let travel heal the heart