Tidal Echoes

Updates daily at midnight. Main story complete.

Mutual pining / marriage first, love later

Stoic, aloof iceberg x optimistic, cheerful girl

1. The day after her mother got in touch with an old friend who had moved abroad, Shi Yang was set up on a blind date.

Her date turned out to be her friend's son.

Unable to withstand her mother's persistent nagging, Shi Yang agreed to go through the motions.

But when they met, she discovered that the man was Xu Yan, her high school classmate.

In high school, he was known as a science prodigy and had countless admirers. Shi Yang remembered the few times they had crossed paths, and neither of them had enjoyed it much.

2. The atmosphere at their reunion on this blind date was a little strange.

Xu Yan handed her an agreement. “Since we're both going to get married, and we already know each other, there's no need to waste time getting acquainted.”

Shi Yang wanted to say, “Who said we know each other?”

But after reading the terms he had proposed, she was tempted.

They hit it off and went straight to the civil affairs bureau to register their marriage.

After the wedding, Shi Yang carried on with her usual work and routine, while Xu Yan was busy with things abroad. They spent little time together.

Most people who heard about their marriage were pessimistic about it.

The Xu family was prestigious, and Xu Yan himself was exceptional. He not only ran the family business well, but had also founded one of the industry's leading companies.

Shi Yang never expected their marriage to last. A marriage where her husband was as good as absent suited her just fine.

Not long after Xu Yan gradually shifted the focus of his work back to China, the deadline of their marriage agreement arrived.

One evening, Shi Yang took the divorce papers to him. “Let's part on good terms.”

The usually easygoing man tore the papers to shreds and held her, asking over and over in her ear, “What if we don't divorce? I'll do anything, okay?”

3. Later, while sorting through old belongings, Shi Yang found a photo he had taken. On the back, he had written:

[When we were young, we loved each other without knowing it.]

It had been taken on the day they had arranged to watch the sunset and the tide together.

*“When we were young, we loved each other without knowing it.” Adapted from the Irish poet Yeats.

*Blurb written on 2024/01/06, with a timestamp in the document.

Blurb for “Moonset Trajectory”:

Marriage first, love later x dog-training romance

Cool on the outside, naughty on the inside x tsundere who refuses to admit his feelings

Under pressure, Meng Wanyue agreed to a blind date arranged by her family.

To her surprise, the man was Xu Muzhou, a high school alumnus she had once secretly loved.

Meng Wanyue felt awkward. When she graduated from high school, she had given him a love letter.

She had delivered the letter, but by a stroke of bad luck, she had accidentally tucked in an extra card from some gay comic merch.

After their wedding, Meng Wanyue was careful around him.

She was used to sleeping with a night-light on, and to avoid disturbing him, she offered to sleep in the guest room.

Then one night, when she fell ill with a fever, Xu Muzhou carried her to the master bedroom.

She didn't want to trouble him, but he said, “Good timing. I can work on my arm strength.”

Then he said he was afraid she'd take advantage of him in the dark, so he left the night-light on all night.

Not long after, Xu Muzhou stood in the doorway and said, all casual and cocky, “I've got a multicolored night-light in my room. Want to come see it?”

Meng Wanyue: “...”

-

Meng Wanyue thought Xu Muzhou might be a little interested in her.

Until one time, an old friend returned from abroad, and Meng Wanyue invited him out for a meal.

After she got home, Xu Muzhou told her without a hint of emotion that people should be brave and pursue the ones they liked.

After all, they didn't have any feelings for each other.

Later, she overheard him chatting with friends at a gathering.

“Once his wife finds someone new, those two can divorce, and Brother Zhou will be free.”

Oh, so he wanted a divorce.

Just as he wished, on his birthday, Meng Wanyue gave him the divorce papers he had been waiting for as a surprise.

-

Later, Meng Wanyue's studio was thriving.

After one shoot, the model wanted to invite her to dinner, but then noticed the man who had been waiting at the door all day.

He asked what their relationship was.

Without turning around, Meng Wanyue replied coolly, “I don't know him.”

Xu Muzhou nearly ground his teeth to dust.

He walked over and said to the man, “There's a queue for dinner invitations. She said I'm number 250, so you're number 251.”

2025/05/22

Theme: Be sincere with the people you love.