White Roses in the Clouds

[This story is being revised. The current version is the old one. Revised chapters will be marked as updated. The main change is that the pacing will be slowed down a little, so the revised version might not feel very different from the original. I hope you enjoy it.]

Jiang Nian has the same strange dream every time. There's a girl around her age in it. She can't remember what the girl looks like, only that her name is Mumu.

A cool, aloof beauty named Lin An transfers to Nanping. She barely speaks and seems distant, yet she's gentle only to Jiang Nian.

Everyone says Lin An is a flower on a mountain peak, impossible to reach at the top of a snowy mountain.

But what no one knows is that this flower was picked many years ago.

-

At the bonfire party, the night is pitch-black, and the flames light up half the sky. Everyone gathers around the bonfire to play Truth or Dare.

A beer bottle spins on the ground. Some people are nervous, others excited.

The bottle stops pointing at Lin An, and everyone cheers.

Lin An says helplessly, "I'll take a dare."

"Confess your feelings to someone."

Lin An pauses, then gets up and walks straight over to Jiang Nian.

"I like you."

"That wasn't a dare. It's how I really feel."

Later, when someone discovers Lin An is dating and asks why she got into a relationship, she curls her lips into a smile and says:

Not for anyone else. Just because it's her.

-

"Would it feel strange to date a girl?"

Jiang Nian shakes her head.

"Not if it's you."

But on Lin An's birthday, Jiang Nian calls her over and over, frantic, only to hear the same cold, mechanical voice on the other end each time.

"We're sorry. The number you have dialed is busy. Please try again later."

At one in the morning, Lin An sits on the edge of her bed, staring at the messages, and gives a bitter little laugh.

[You have a bright future ahead of you. Keep moving forward and don't look back. Forget me.]

[Happy birthday.]

Lin An's eyes blur with tears. She throws her phone down and changes her number.

Fine. You said to forget you.

I promised you, but you never promised me.

You little liar.

-

Every winter, a girl comes to Bodhi Temple to pray. Unlike most people, she neither asks the Buddha for favors nor makes requests. She simply prays in silence, full of devotion.

The girl is pretty, her face reddened by the wind, her clear, almond-shaped eyes making her look all the more pitiful.

Running his fingers over his prayer beads, a monk bends down and asks, "What are you praying for, young lady?"

Jiang Nian smiles. "May the person I love be safe and well."

"Your wish will surely come true. A sincere heart is answered." Then he bows again, says, "May all be well," and turns to leave.

On that snowy day, a girl clasps her hands together in the temple.

She wishes only to see her once more, even if only for a moment.

- Cool, aloof, and devoted Lin An x gentle, sweet little bunny Jiang Nian

- Exclusive pairings, transitions from school life to city life, happy ending

- Finally, thank you for your support and for liking this story

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