You in That Corner

[The gentlest, most refined young lady x the famously hypocritical star performer]

Life is vast, and love is but one corner of it. In my corner, there is only you.

Coming soon: "Welcome to the New World [Infinite]". Manuscript in progress...

[The Fish King is good at "communicating," while Consort Song can only reason things out.]

Fish King: We're using the game to sneak across planets, so of course we have to make up our own identities...

Blurb:

1.

The regret of a secret crush is never having said it out loud. And if only by the tiniest margin, that year Xun He could have stood in front of Meng Yu and told him:

"I like you. I want to go to the same university as you."

She had so many regrets, so much heartache, but her greatest regret was that she had missed her chance by the smallest margin.

2.

On that restless morning, Meng Yu sent a breeze her way. From then on, that fresh, bright feeling lingered in her heart and never faded.

She could never forget him in the years that followed. He became the one she loved, though they never met again.

After moving to the old campus, Meng Yu noticed a girl whose gaze was rather impolite. He was a little annoyed, and didn't give it much thought even after seeing her twice in just three or four hours.

--"Your friend Xun He visited your profile."

In an instant, he pictured a shy, smiling girl with bright, clear eyes.

He remembered her. She was Xun He.

After their long-awaited reunion, Xun He pleased Meng Yu in every way. She got the special attention of the person she loved, but it wasn't enough.

Xun He was so wonderful that Meng Yu wondered how anyone could not like her.

3.

Someone once said, "The space between Meng Yu and Xun He clearly couldn't fit anyone else, yet they kept a space that couldn't fit anyone else under the respectable pretense of friendship."

But they were friends, perfectly suited to one another. Meng Yu firmly believed that.

Until one day, he happened to open Xun He's photo album and saw himself from long ago, still young and green.

So the person Xun He had secretly loved without ever getting together with was him.

"Then let me ask you this: Is Xun He different to you?"

"Yes, she's different."

Hidden behind the door, Xun He held her breath.

"How is she different? Everyone's different!"

The slightly open door closed.

Didn't Meng Yu like her?

Xun He wanted to take one more chance.

4.

Years passed, and they met again in October.

That day, Meng Yu said, "I like you. Are we together now?"

By December, they were already treating each other's homes like their own.

As the countdown to the New Year ended, Meng Yu said, "I made a wish to live with my girlfriend. Girlfriend, what do you think?"

Xun He said, "Trying to get me to move in with you when we've been dating less than three months? Isn't that a bit much?"

Spring came in March, the perfect time for a wedding.

Their friends gathered together for drinks and laughter, teasing them for dating someone close to home.

Xun He said, "Friends? I never wanted to be Meng Yu's friend."

Everyone laughed and hooted in unison.

Meng Yu's lips curled into a smile, but he said nothing. He'd fallen into the trap, and was happy to stay there.

#You are both my remaining years and my whole life#

#I like you, I love you, I want to be with you#

PS: 1. Both are virgins. The heroine had a crush on her first love. The hero had a brief relationship with an ex-girlfriend, before their reunion!!!

2. Starts at university, then moves to the city.

3. For the heroine, it's a secret crush come true. For the hero, it's love that grows over time, and the heroine moves up from being a friend.

→→Completed: "See Me"

[The graceful one who "says it and means it" x the pretend playboy who "plays along"]

Childhood sweethearts / Mutual secret crush / Forbidden friendship / Love and desire

Later, Zhu Shihao finally figured it out. If she couldn't bring herself to say she loved him, then getting him first wasn't a bad idea.

But Tan Zhixu kept gripping her waist and asking her again and again, "Who do you love?"

1.

The first time they had a proper argument was in their senior year of high school, when Tan Zhixu accidentally found the love letter Zhu Shihao had tucked into her draft paper.

It was only a draft, with plenty of edits and scribbles, but she seemed to have put a lot of thought into it.

Seeing words like "gentle" and "considerate," he mentally ran through everyone he knew.

His expression went blank, his eyes turned dark and cold, and he spat, "You little punk."

Getting nowhere with his questions, he promptly handed it over to Zhu's mother.

She got two hours of scolding and was assigned a reflection at least twice as long as the letter. Zhu Shihao immediately went to find Tan Zhixu.

He said coolly, "So you're arguing with me over this little punk, and you won't even tell me who it is?"

Hearing him call the person that, Zhu Shihao choked on her words.

"Write it yourself. Life is long, and sooner or later you'll have to write your own reflection. Make sure you learn your lesson. It can't be fewer than 936 words."

Zhu Shihao gritted her teeth. Fine, she'd write it herself, you little punk.

2.

Unfortunately, she never managed to deliver that love letter.

It was an ordinary day, with the school broadcast playing. Tan Zhixu's voice was more familiar to her than anyone else's.

"What's my type? Someone with a bit of a temper, fun, pretty, and innocent."

Zhu Shihao lowered her eyes and hid behind the wall.

But she wasn't fun, and she didn't look innocent. The worst her temper had ever gotten was when she'd called him a "little punk" in her head.

Tan Zhixu didn't like girls like her.

Her secret crush disappeared without a trace, never to be mentioned again.

3.

Everyone knew Zhu Shihao had a childhood friend: rich, cool, and domineering, with a habit of butting into everything.

Everyone also knew Tan Zhixu had a childhood friend: pretty and sociable. She didn't seem to control Tan Zhixu much, but whenever she told him to do something, he listened.

There was nothing for her to control. Zhu Shihao simply watched from the sidelines as Tan Zhixu got dumped once, then dumped two other people.

Tan Zhixu said, "Shihao, why do we never seem to meet anyone decent?"

Zhu Shihao glanced at him and drained her glass. "You're the one who keeps picking the wrong people, not me."

He scoffed. "Then why do you break up so fast? Collecting stamps?"

She'd dated three people, and none of the relationships lasted a month.

After a few more drinks, Tan Zhixu was tipsy too. "How about you and I just give it a try?"

After a moment of silence, Zhu Shihao's voice rang out, unusually clear. "Okay. Let's try."

His hand shook, spilling his drink. If her gaze hadn't been so serious, Tan Zhixu might have thought he'd imagined it.

"How do we try?"

Zhu Shihao stared at his lips, then leaned in and kissed him. "Like this."

Their glasses fell onto the carpet, and their clothes were soaked too.

4.

One day, Tan Zhixu found a pale pink envelope inside the manga he'd given her many years ago. It was clearly a love letter.

He'd barely read a line before he realized it was a revised version of the old draft.

He read every word. The adjectives were still the same, and there still wasn't a single clue to the writer's identity.

"Find me a pen that reveals writing you can't normally see when you shine a light on it. The light is the important part."

After hanging up, Tan Zhixu sneered. "Why not try roasting it over a fire or drowning it in water?"

He instinctively read it again.

He tossed it onto the table and, for once, swore: "Why is it even longer now?"

The way I see myself and you is different from the way you see us. How is that not a kind of understanding?

In truth, it's just a double standard and rose-colored glasses.

PS: 1. Set entirely in the city, and gets right to it.

2. The hero isn't hung up on his ex-girlfriend. He's simply reminiscing. Both are virgins.

Theme: May love never go unreturned.