Love in Midwinter

Secretly in love with her x mutual salvation

Gentle and brave | Devoted and calculating

"Your heartbeat will teach you to love someone before your eyes do."

The spring of her sophomore year was damp and dreary for Yun Qing.

Hostile misinterpretations suddenly came pouring in. She didn't want to explain herself or waste time on them, so she simply grew quieter.

In a corner of the library, sunlight streamed down over Yun Qing's seat, drying the dampness in her heart. Even the bad feelings that briefly surfaced faded away as she turned to that page in her book.

That was also the day Yun Qing learned the name Lu Jinyu.

That same year, Lu Jinyu returned to Yu University to visit his mentor.

On a path beside the campus, early in spring, he saw Yun Qing for the second time. The first had been in a group photo.

That day, he saw her suppressing her bad feelings. He didn't want to intrude, but he couldn't bear to leave her alone. In the library, he gave her a bookmark and a few words, quietly keeping her company. She wasn't the only one who found salvation.

For many years afterward, while living abroad, Lu Jinyu would think of that day, and whenever he did, a smile would tug at his lips.

The sixth year of Lu Jinyu's crush on Yun Qing.

He returned to China to acquire the company his mother had founded, and that day, he saw the person he'd kept in his heart for so many years once again in his office.

After seeing her again, Lu Jinyu realized he had become greedy. The distant glimpse that had once been enough was nowhere near enough anymore.

But on the day Yun Qing confessed to him, Lu Jinyu hid his greed. She was too wonderful, while everything behind him was a complete mess.

Not long afterward, downstairs from the company, Lu Jinyu saw Yun Qing get into someone else's car.

That night, outside the gate of the Yun family home, he asked the person on the phone, "Yun Qing, I don't want to disturb your teacher and the others, so are you coming down, or should I knock and go in?"

That same night, Yun Qing asked the man who had always looked her way, "This time, do you still want to secretly love me?"

Notes:

1. Both leads are each other's first and only.

2. Happy ending.

3. This is a short story, focused mainly on the romance.

4. Professional details in the story were looked up online. Please don't scrutinize them too closely, though you're welcome to leave corrections.

5. All brand and company names mentioned in the story are fictional. Please don't associate them with real ones.

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