[The full story is free to read]
[Content warning: The main story is written as a first-person diary, with a third-person ending]
In their third year together, Wen Xinghe found a cat.
That was how she gradually found her way into Yue Guanshan's heart.
In 2009, Yue Guanshan was twelve. Her mother had died, she had dropped out of school, and no matter how much she earned, she couldn't pay off her father's gambling debts. She was always covered in bruises.
In 2027, Yue Guanshan was thirty, with a PhD, financial independence, and a stable relationship.
In many people's eyes, Yue Guanshan was intelligent, resilient, and easy to get along with. Whatever adversity she faced, she handled it calmly, turning her hard work into a chance to change her fate.
Only Wen Xinghe knew that all of that was a shell she used to hide her fragile heart.
She had escaped her family of origin and spent years drifting through big cities, but her soul had never left that benighted land where all her loved ones were buried.
The past was too painful, like thorns, like a swamp, trapping her fast.
She once thought she would never escape it, until the day she fell in love with Wen Xinghe.
Yue Guanshan had never thought of herself as lucky.
But a chance encounter brought Wen Xinghe to her side.
"Suffering isn't something to glorify, but it brought me to you."
"Xinghe, with you in this world, things aren't so bad."
Wen Xinghe had a smooth life, free of worries. She always got what she wanted and achieved what she hoped for.
There was only one thing she couldn't do.
"Guanshan, if there's another life, I hope you'll always be happy."
Reader's note:
[An expanded story about the side couple from the author's other novel, 4399. The characters continue, but you can understand this story without reading the other one.]
[Character setup: sunny puppy who never overthinks x perceptive, beautiful, strong, and tragic; each other's first love; switch couple]
[Short, slice-of-life story, alternating timelines, happy ending]
The next novel will be "The Crane Returns to the Clouds [Reborn]", set in the same world. Here's the blurb:
After four years in love with Qi Yunjian, Meng Hegui always thought her girlfriend was a dazzling star.
She came from a small town, got into a top university, and made a place for herself in a big city before she was thirty. When confronted with injustice at work, she resolutely quit and built a career of her own.
It seemed like no setback could ever defeat her.
Then, after an accident left her lover with disabled legs, she chose to end her life, as easily and resolutely as a falling snowflake.
Only then did Meng Hegui finally understand that all her lover's resilience and tenderness had been nothing but a fragile disguise. Qi Yunjian's heart had been dead for a long time.
Before meeting Meng Hegui, she had already endured too much on her own.
She couldn't hold on any longer.
Given another chance, Meng Hegui found herself back at sixteen, before anything had happened.
She rushed to that small town and met her for the second time.
This time, we'll walk through it together.
The summer she was fifteen, Qi Yunjian met Meng Hegui.
Like a blazing sun, she burst into Qi Yunjian's life and melted her frozen heart.
Life was always bleak, but with her around, it wasn't so hard to endure.
She was selfish, Qi Yunjian thought.
She knew that she and Meng Hegui were worlds apart, and that the feelings in Meng Hegui's heart had nothing to do with who she was now.
But she still craved Meng Hegui's passionate love, like someone sinking underwater clinging to a lifeline.
Let me be selfish just this once.
This time, I don't want to let go.
One-on-one, each other's first love
Extreme-sports athlete x cool and reserved talented woman
Short, healing story, mostly slice of life, slow-paced
Mostly set in school, ending in the city; they officially start dating as adults
The one receiving love will regain her memories in the end
Theme: What fate cannot change, love and companionship can.
I saw the third chapter elsewhere and couldn't help but come to the author. Because I feel real. To be honest, ten years ago I was very angry about many current situations. Now I rarely come into contact with these. I only saw the front part, and I couldn't help but babble a few words. I originally thought I would pay if I could pay for the genuine version, but I found out that it was free, so I could only bookmark it for the author first. To be honest, the previous dialogue between the two heroines made me feel like I was floating. Guan Shan's diary directly brought me back to reality. Thank you, the author, for letting me have such a real feeling. I also want to hug Guan Shan and the author who wrote this article at that time. Finally, best wishes. [Compare your heart]
God, I feel so sorry for Guan Shan and his mother.