Oxygen Deprived

As Shen Yingmo is being confessed to, awkward silence begins to spread.

Suddenly, someone chuckles. "Dude, you're something else, stealing someone's girl right out in the open."

The confessor looks completely confused.

As he wonders what that means, the other person points in a direction. "Let me introduce you to your number one love rival."

The confessor follows his gaze. In an inconspicuous corner stands a tall figure, his head slightly tilted in the night. His profile is blurred, lit by patchy lamplight.

He looks up, his gaze meeting Shen Yingmo's first. There is no emotion to be seen.

After a moment, his eyes lightly pass over Shen Yingmo's face and turn to the confessor. He gives a composed nod and says in a faint voice, "Hello, Liang Jiaxian."

In that instant, Shen Yingmo remembers not long ago.

At the prayer terrace of Ming'an Temple, tourists come and go all around them, the crowd surging.

Under his quiet gaze, Shen Yingmo lifts her face and says, blunt and impulsive, "I want to date you."

The howling wind sweeps past. For a second, the look he gives her seems to change, becoming more assessing and appraising.

But soon he smiles again. "How boring. You won't win me over."

- Deliberately getting close, then falling hard with full awareness. A true one-on-one romance in every sense.

- Imperfect characters, lots of personal interpretation, and professional details researched online.

Steadfast and quiet x scheming and secretly flirtatious

Theme: Become a better version of yourself