Drowning in Winter [Secret Crush]

Coming soon: After I Anonymously Harass My Trash Ex. Please add it to your reading list! Blurb below.

Completed: Going Viral Shipping CPs During Esports Livestreams / Flirting with You Through the Sound of the Wind

1. Wen Xun first met Qi Sheng in a shabby internet cafe.

Tangled wires and the sound of dripping rain cast a gloomy mood over the alley.

A wind laden with mist swept through the broken doorway, flipping the pages of a book with a rustle. A shadow fell over her from above, and she instinctively looked up and asked, "Want to rent a computer overnight?"

The man was dressed in black, blending into the dark night like he was coated in deep blue ink. Rainwater ran down the creases of his black windbreaker. His hood hid most of his face, leaving only the sharp line of his jaw and his pale, cold lips in view.

"How much?"

He lowered his head slightly. His voice sounded rough, as if it had been worn raw.

Wen Xun's gaze met his. The light was muddy and dim, but that first glance at him felt like she'd glimpsed the light of day.

2. Wen Xun had seen Qi Sheng weary and defeated, and she'd seen him proud, unruly, and full of vigor.

The moment that stirred her heart most was this:

Standing beneath the Golden Summit Temple on Cloudmist Mountain, the young man turned back against the wind. His eyes were weary yet bright, his tall, straight figure standing in the bleak winter cold. Bold and carefree, he asked her, "Want to climb to the summit with me?"

That day, snow blanketed halfway up the mountain.

Wen Xun accompanied him from the foot of the mountain to the summit, skinning her palm and soaking half her pant leg, until at last they saw the winter sea of clouds and rosy mist.

With her back turned to him, she hung a strip of red silk from a dead locust tree weighed down by snow.

Then she made a heartfelt wish.

One glance, one Xun; may Qi bloom in all his glory.

The day they broke up,

she climbed the mountain alone, found that same strip of red silk, and cast it into the wind.

But she never expected that

in the bitter winter cold, the young man would search for her at the foot of the mountain for an entire day and night.

Next up: After I Anonymously Harass My Trash Ex

Chen Yuzhou comes from a good family, is handsome and fit, and has achieved success at a young age. He's proud and unruly.

Few people know, though, that he has a shameful romantic past.

In high school, he liked a girl.

He adored her and was infatuated with her, always obeying her and doing everything she said.

His friends made fun of him, saying a simp would never get a happy ending. Chen Yuzhou scoffed and paid them no mind.

Then, one month into their relationship, just when he was head over heels, she broke up with him out of the blue and disappeared without a trace. He stood in the rain all night and never saw her again.

Only then did he realize that a simp's comeuppance can arrive awfully fast.

*

The next time he saw Chen Yuzhou was at an academic conference at Rong University.

He was the golden boy everyone adored. She was a miserable college student fretting over her graduation thesis.

He was still as polished and popular as ever.

The man who used to do everything she said now looked at her with less affection than he gave a dog. He'd probably forgotten every last detail of their ancient history.

Watching him live so well made Xia Wenyan lose her appetite and toss and turn all night.

After staying up late to finish his work, Chen Yuzhou's WeChat kept buzzing at three in the morning.

[Wanna compare?]

[Whose is bigger?]

[#CartoonLittleYellowMan#]

Much later.

Chen Yuzhou: Where there's a will, there's a way. I just didn't grovel hard enough.

**

Reader's notes:

1. Since the female lead doesn't know who is behind the "80" campaign, she compares it to a game of cat and mouse. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.

2. The character concepts in this story were inspired by the author's column, Flirting with You Through the Sound of the Wind.

3. There have been plenty of campus "80" topics lately. Please don't bring them into real life.

4. Please respect the author. Criticism is welcome, but abuse is not.

5. Any quotations will be credited in the author's notes.

Theme: Growth