Shen Yanqiu was a wildflower, growing wherever he pleased: among rotting deadwood, in desolate no-man's-land, and along a turbulent sea.
That was until he met Chao Ye.
Chao Ye told him to dye his hair black again, so he recolored his blue-gray hair.
Chao Ye told him not to wear earrings, so he removed each and every stud from his ears.
Chao Ye told him to quit smoking, so he gave up the habit he'd had for years.
Chao Ye told him to go back to school, but this time he shook his head.
When Chao Ye asked why, Shen Yanqiu just smiled and said nothing.
In the end, though, he still walked through the school gates and wiped the dust from the guitar that had been sitting in his room.
He was reborn from the ashes, but found no light.
Shen Yanqiu remembered their last day together clearly.
"She'll never accept the two of us."
"You know I can't live without her."
"Chao Ye, you can blame me or hate me, but I was the one who wronged you."
"I owe you so much. I'll agree to any conditions you set, just to repay you."
Shen Yanqiu slowly took off his clothes, piece by piece, until he stood naked.
He summoned the courage to look at Chao Ye, whom he'd been afraid to meet in the eyes, only to find the other man's eyes red, with tears still glistening at their corners.
Chao Ye bent down, picked up his coat, and draped it over him.
"Shen Yanqiu, you don't owe me anything. Don't do this."
"I know how important she is to you, but can't you even let me choose to be your friend?"
Every word Chao Ye said pierced Shen Yanqiu's heart, but he held back his tears and shook his head. "I'm sorry."
He loved Chao Ye, and Chao Ye loved him too. They simply couldn't be together.
A deep river lay between them, a river called worldly convention.
A beautiful, tragic top covered in hooks ?? A devoted bottom pulled down from his pedestal
[Reader's Guide]
1. Second-chance romance, happy ending, healing story.
2. The woman in the blurb is the top's mother, and she is very important to him.
3. No melodrama, just reality.
4. The top is only a little wimpy around the bottom. Outside, he's absolutely a powerful top.
5. The bottom falling from his pedestal for love means going from cold and uncaring to love-crazed, and from keeping to proper etiquette to repeatedly crossing the line.
5. Can't promise they'll dote on each other equally, but the bottom will give a little more. Please take that into consideration.
Theme: Love means respect and freedom.
