Longing

*A recommendation for my friend Chun Ting's In Love, We Make a Living. Go give it a read! It's amazing! Weibo: He Luoluo Ya. Please add it to your reading list~

The day Jiang Ning hurriedly moved away from Tong'an, she packed up all her belongings and left them at an uncle's house.

Except for the things connected to Song Yuanye.

She carried the box, full of girlish secrets and everything that reminded her of him, from the south to the north.

Jiang Ning thought she'd never get the chance to open that box again.

But years later, the person she'd thought about for eight years opened it along with the secret she'd buried deep in her heart. At last, her secret crush saw the light of day.

·

When they were young, almost everyone had someone they longed for. Jiang Ning was no exception.

From the moment she was knocked to the ground and Song Yuanye, passing by, held out his hand to her, someone took up residence in Jiang Ning's heart.

But back then, Song Yuanye was the brightest star at school. Arrogant and carefree, he was the golden boy in everyone's eyes.

Jiang Ning didn't dare get close. She was a coward in love.

Then, during a murder-mystery role-playing game with a group of friends, Jiang Ning and Song Yuanye unexpectedly drew roles as a couple.

Using the script as an excuse, she summoned the greatest courage of her life and confessed to him.

But everyone took her words as part of the game, and they were quietly lost amid the commotion.

Years later, beneath the first snow swirling through the air, Song Yuanye stood beside Jiang Ning. As if asking offhandedly, he said, “Do you remember what you said to me when we played that murder-mystery game?”

Jiang Ning looked up at the falling snow and nodded gently.

“Back then, I thought it was just part of the script, so I didn't take it seriously. What I really wanted to ask was...” Song Yuanye paused.

Jiang Ning's breath caught. She turned to look at him and fell into his gentle gaze.

All she heard him say was, “Is it still okay for me to answer you now?”

“You were so brave back then. Now, Jiang Ning, let me be the one to say I love you.”

[Reading Guide]

* Investigative reporter and detective

* Gentle girl × bold and unruly guy

* School days followed by city life / slow burn / secret crush / reunion after years apart

* The blurb was revised before the story began, but the main storyline won't change

* All professional details in the story are based on research

Recommended story by a friend, In Love, We Make a Living:

If Su Lian had to divide her life into two parts, she'd split it into the time before she met Li Xi and the time after.

The rich young man who transferred from the capital caused a sensation at school as soon as he arrived, the exact opposite of Su Lian, whom her classmates avoided like the plague.

She was a puppet pretending to be normal, a “freak” who couldn't even learn to dodge when hurt. He was the only one who noticed.

In a quiet hallway, Li Xi looked at her and said, “I can make everyone like you. You can become more popular than me.”

Then he patiently taught her everything she'd never experienced. Like a sponge soaking up water, she swelled with all the new things she learned.

She couldn't forget Li Xi giving her a thumbs-up on the basketball court. She couldn't forget the glory of her opening performance at the sports festival, or how he took her to the mountaintop to shout out their wishes, or everything they experienced together.

What she couldn't forget most was the orange cake he gave her.

Eventually, she learned how to dodge. The first person she learned to dodge was him.

Before Li Xi went abroad, his last message was to her.

[A: I won't contact you again.]

Years later, when they met again, Li Xi recognized her at a glance.

In the half-lit room, the handsome, distinguished man sat in a corner, idly twirling a lighter. He watched her for a moment, narrowed his eyes, and gave a lazy smile.

“You're the one who came to me.”

His voice, clear as jade striking a plate, rang in her ears, making her heart rise and fall with his every word.

Then he said her name, casually yet distinctly, one syllable at a time.

“Su Lian.”

One day after they got together, Li Xi accompanied Su Lian to Songcheng to sort through her old belongings.

Su Lian found a letter Li Xi had written to her long ago. At the end, it said:

“Dreaming of kissing you, my love.”

“For love, I woke from death.”

A line I once came across. I've forgotten where, but I felt it suited this story's theme.

Theme: Becoming a better version of yourself.