Falling Right Here

Zhou Hui is the one who waits for Cheng Lai, his migratory bird. He has always stood right where he is, watching his bird fly south and north.

*

Cheng Lai thinks of herself as a bird with no feet. When the wind blows, she plunges forward against it; when the rain falls, she beats her wings and flies. Once she stops, there's no starting again.

Yet someone became her gentle haven and lifted her high, only for her to kick him away.

Then, when the wind and rain had finally stopped and she no longer even wanted to spread her wings, she saw him standing in front of the camera again, appearing on the big screen. He used to shy away even from having his picture taken.

*

Migratory birds often roost in wetlands. When you want to find them, you don't care about the mud underfoot. Zhou Hui, too, has wondered why he kept standing in one place, stuck fast in the mud.

And then, that winter, the little migratory bird Cheng Lai came back.

----- Plot-focused blurb below.

Doglike, clever, hopelessly lovestruck big bad wolf x a naughty little gray rabbit who doesn't know she's naughty

*An unfinished beginning (School life)

At the high school opening ceremony, Cheng Lai joined the hype squad and danced hip-hop. At the end of the ceremony, Zhou Hui played a piano piece that brought the event to a stirring finale.

When he finished, the new students in the audience gazed at him with shining eyes. Having someone nice to look at became one more reason to come to school.

Cheng Lai kept stopping herself from approaching him, but he abandoned his earlier solemn demeanor and blocked her path, refusing to let her leave.

He leaned down, using his body to block her way, and said, "You danced really well."

That little crush finally sprouted like a bamboo shoot after the rain. She couldn't hold back anymore.

At the university opening ceremony, he cornered her against the wall behind the auditorium and kissed her fiercely. Letting go of his pride, he asked her breathlessly, "Do you really have to break up with me?"

She had worked up the courage to do two bold things. First, she gave up ballet, which she had studied for eleven years, and took up hip-hop. Second, she pursued Zhou Hui, then dumped him.

Both hip-hop and Zhou Hui came to an unfinished end.

*Forever Fallen (Modern city)

On the day Cheng Lai returned to China, the moment she set foot in Beicheng, she saw a giant poster of Zhou Hui hanging in the airport.

There was no shortage of ways for Cheng Lai to keep up with his news. His movies had been released overseas, too. As the youngest actor to win all the major awards, he was already going for a second round of prizes, while she was still unknown.

When she went to interview at an entertainment agency, he was sitting in the boss's chair, looking over her resume. Cheng Lai had no qualms about making money alongside her ex, and this company was one of China's entertainment giants, so she signed on without hesitation.

With her family pressuring her to get married, Cheng Lai somehow found herself standing outside the Civil Affairs Bureau with him. Afraid she was about to sell him off, she checked with him: "Have you thought this through?"

The Best Actor Zhou put on the performance of a lifetime, giving her a look that was a little conflicted yet helpless. He nodded firmly, then led her inside the Civil Affairs Bureau by the hand.

*

"When you look back, finding someone who has put down roots and become deeply mired in the same place is a lucky thing that lets both of you finally breathe easy."

Blurb written on October 12, 2022

Theme: Keep holding on to your dreams and passions. One day, the clouds will part and the moon will shine through.