Bright as You

If dreaming about being intimate with your friend's younger sister deserves a trip to hell, then what about kissing her until her cheeks flush scarlet in real life, wishing you could hide her inside your body? Wouldn't that be an even greater sin?

It doesn't matter. At least she's by his side, forever and ever.

That was what Shen Yaobai thought.

Wen Yuning first met Shen Yaobai behind the high school assembly platform. At seventeen, he was already the most talked-about boy in school, waiting to receive an award when a sudden gust of wind blew one sheet of her speech away with a rustle.

The spirited young man climbed over the fence and retrieved it. Tall and slender, he stood backlit by the sun. When he returned and handed it to her, the bright morning light reflected in his dark eyes, and the corners of his lips curved into a gentle smile.

From that moment on, she couldn't help thinking about him for a long, long time.

-

That summer in her first year of college, Wen Yuning worked up the courage to apply. Following the advice of one of her cousin Zhou Yi's friends, who spoke from experience, she successfully joined the university's research team.

She'd only meant to enrich her academic life and make the most of her time, never expecting...

Shen Yaobai to be in the lab too.

She'd never imagined that the friend her cousin Zhou Yi had mentioned was him.

A young woman's feelings were like vines covered in blossoms. Overcoming her shyness, they wound around Shen Yaobai, tendril by tendril. For example, she wanted them to eat the same kind of candy with gooey centers, and even share the same scarf.

He looked at her with those deep, affectionate eyes, their outer corners lifted, and never called her out on her little tricks.

In a bright, cozy corner of the room, she kissed him without any idea what she was doing. Shen Yaobai laughed softly, his voice husky. “That doesn't seem quite right. Why don't you try again?”

-

Later, Wen Yuning grew into someone who could stand on her own and traveled far and wide to restore cultural artifacts.

During the rainy season, she saw her husband at her workplace, though he should have been a thousand miles away.

Shen Yaobai had brought her a new mechanical butterfly toy to cheer her up, along with a pile of snacks she loved but hadn't had time to restock. He asked what else she wanted.

She blinked slyly and deliberately made things difficult for him. “Now that I've seen Shen Yaobai, all I want is to see my favorite rainbow.”

Shen Yaobai smiled and played along. “Then I'll bribe the rainbow.”

With affection in his eyes, he leaned close to her forehead. A second or two later, he said in all seriousness, “Mm, it says it'll come see you when the rain stops.”

*Highlights: HE / both are virgins / one-on-one romance / slow burn at first / passionate in the middle and later

Theme: Educating people and nurturing talent. Education is a strong foundation for science, technology, and talent development.