Homeward Bound

[The print edition has been published and is available on all platforms. Weibo: @Buzhijiangyueya]

Everything has its own course, and mine is set to sail toward you.

The day Wen Nian first arrived in Huailan, a rainstorm had just passed through the little city.

The old, low-rise buildings were soaked through and gave off a musty, run-down smell. The sunken puddles were thick with mud... This forgotten corner of the world, seemingly abandoned by the big cities, was where she would be living from now on.

Wen Nian had prepared herself to fend for herself, but then she met Chen Hang.

Chen Hang of Huailan No. 1 High School was quiet and kept to himself.

His handsome face was always cool and indifferent, making people hesitate to approach him.

As his deskmate, Wen Nian knew only that he was unbeatable at science and had a negative EQ. He was such a taciturn person that you could hit him with a stick and still not get three sentences out of him.

When girls asked for his WeChat, he either shook his head with a cold expression or stiffly managed to say no.

His friends had to step in and tease him to break the tension. "You can't even say one nice thing, so how come everyone likes you so much? Every time you go out, girls hit on you, and even turning them down doesn't work."

Another friend joked, "You'd better come up with a plan, or no one's going to help you next time."

They were only joking about what sort of plan he should come up with. No one took it seriously.

Chen Hang's ears turned red at their teasing, and he carefully glanced at Wen Nian out of the corner of his eye.

The girl had her head down, memorizing vocabulary, her expression cool.

Wen Nian was unusually quiet that day and couldn't focus on what she was doing.

She also pretended not to notice someone showing up in front of her over and over again.

Can't even turn them down? What good is that mouth of yours?

Wen Nian couldn't be bothered to care, until Chen Hang stopped her.

Their eyes met, then quickly darted away. Their pounding hearts seemed to thunder between them.

Chen Hang said seriously, "Next time a girl asks for my WeChat, I'll tell her I like someone."

*

Chen Hang wasn't good with words, and often made Wen Nian angry.

The biggest promise he ever made her, and the sweetest thing Wen Nian thought she had ever heard, was that he would definitely get into the same university as her.

For that, Chen Hang gave it everything he had.

[Bonus Scene]

Wen Nian and Chen Hang were famous on campus as the perfect couple.

But even knowing Chen Hang was taken, one girl couldn't resist stirring up trouble. She showed Chen Hang a photo of Wen Nian with another boy, hoping to drive a wedge between them.

After looking at it, Chen Hang took out his phone. "Could you send me the photo?"

The girl smiled and agreed, thinking this would let her get Chen Hang's WeChat.

Instead, Chen Hang simply took a picture of the photo on the screen, framing Wen Nian and no one else.

The girl put on a fake, sugary-sweet act. "Why didn't you take a picture of Wen Nian with her senior? They look so good together."

Chen Hang said, "All I can see is how beautiful my girlfriend is."

A few notes:

1. Radiant, captivating young heiress VS a devoted, deeply loving boy who keeps his feelings restrained;

2. School and city life, two top students, mutual unrequited love (the male lead falls first), both pursuing each other, healing each other, both each other's first and only, a story with five sets of twins, and a must-have happy ending;

3. The leads do not engage in intimate behavior before they are adults.

Theme: Dreams will eventually come true