By the time An Yan reached marriageable age, her family had begun arranging one blind date after another for her.
The men they introduced were all suitable in every way, yet she politely turned them down.
She herself was confused, unsure what kind of relationship she really wanted.
Then one day, she happened to see a sentence: "I want to find someone I fall in love with at first sight, not someone to simply get through life with."
Only then did she suddenly realize that this was the kind of love she had been searching for all along.
Later, while on a business trip to France, she went out onto a terrace to enjoy the breeze. A man beside her was making a phone call. She couldn't understand a word of his French, but his voice was so beautiful that her ears were utterly captivated.
She turned her head and saw a man in a well-tailored suit. Even from behind, he gave off an unmistakable air of elegance and refinement.
She was so entranced that she didn't even notice when he ended the call.
Their eyes met, and An Yan realized that he was Chinese.
Meeting someone from home in a foreign country naturally made her feel close to him.
He smiled at her warmly and kindly, his smile as refreshing as a spring breeze.
With a little courage from the alcohol, and the resolve that she would never see him again in this lifetime anyway, An Yan told him she didn't know her way around and asked him to accompany her for a while.
He graciously agreed.
She had planned to invite him up to her hotel once they reached it, but they got out of the car when they passed a scenic spot.
They found somewhere to watch the sunrise together. Apart from a goodbye kiss when they parted, they left with nothing, not even knowing each other's names.
A year later, on October 28, the two met again in France.
This time, they watched the sunrise together again, exchanged contact information, and she learned his name was Shen Yan.
The thousands of kilometers between them were an insurmountable divide.
Countless times, she opened their chat and typed the words "I miss you," only to erase them and close the window.
They never contacted each other otherwise, but every October 28, they arranged to meet.
They met only five times in five years. She joked that even a date with him required a flight.
But as she grew older, she eventually had to compromise with reality.
She reached an age when the magic of love at first sight wore off, and she could accept the idea of simply building a life together.
For the first time, she sent Shen Yan the words "I miss you," then deleted his contact information.
That night, Shen Yan appeared downstairs from her home and pulled her into his arms. "I miss you too."
* A sweet romance from Lu Aotian, as always. Probably a short story.
* Bold and carefree female lead x reserved, romantic gentleman.
Theme: Fireworks are so beautiful, but I am only a mortal.
