Step Back

* The protagonist names in the blurb have been screenshotted as proof. Any further copying will be pursued.

"Don't back away. I'll stop coming closer."

Chen Yuezhou's diary

1.

At eighteen, Ruan Xinzhuo finally succeeded in confessing her feelings.

She had pursued Chen Yuezhou for years. On the eve of her birthday, he gave her a wish as a present. So when he casually lit a candle, she closed her eyes reverently and wished, "I hope Chen Yuezhou will be my boyfriend."

Wish granted.

Ruan Xinzhuo went from being his childhood-friend tagalong to his little girlfriend tagalong, with eyes only for Chen Yuezhou. Everyone envied their relationship.

No one expected that this tagalong would disappear.

On the day of the school basketball tournament, Ruan Xinzhuo hid in a corner, planning to surprise him. Instead, she overheard someone ask, "Why did you suddenly agree?"

Chen Yuezhou replied without hesitation, "I was getting annoyed."

He didn't mention her by name, but her face burned with humiliation.

Ruan Xinzhuo came to her senses and broke up with him. She applied to schools overseas and left quickly and completely, even swearing to herself that she would never see him again.

2.

After graduating, she returned to China. A work-related crisis forced them to spend time together. He was still the same dazzling, carefree man who had once captivated the campus, treating everyone with casual indifference. Only when he faced her did his gaze burn unexpectedly bright.

Then, at a welcome party, Ruan Xinzhuo couldn't avoid him. He pinned her in a corner, blocking her with his foot.

The man who had always been so confident and high-spirited finally lost his composure and kept pressing her for answers.

But Ruan Xinzhuo was no longer the girl whose feelings showed on her face. Her eyes held not a trace of lingering affection for him, only clear-eyed resolve.

Under Chen Yuezhou's restrained, turbulent gaze,

she smiled and stepped back. "Long time no see."

-

They say a drop in dopamine can cause nightmares.

But no one knows that after Chen Yuezhou's dopamine abandoned him, every nightmare that came back to haunt him took Ruan Xinzhuo's face. He thought of her by day and longed for her by night.

- Even a love that has expired may still find its answer.

"I know neither of us was wrong.

It's just easier if we let go."

"Step Back"

Clingy sweetheart x sharp-tongued cool guy

HE / Childhood friends / Rekindled romance

* Screenshots are available as proof of the blurb's revisions and uploads.

Theme: Time makes people who say one thing but mean another speak the truth