The Beauty's Hook

Yun Pianran, a concept artist for a major game company, was maliciously slandered and had to stop working.

One moment he was slacking off and giving up on everything; the next, he was heading to a remote fishing village for a change of scenery.

-

The man from the city stirred up gossip in the village. Some guessed he was a fugitive, while others blamed him for polluting the environment.

Xun Bai pretended not to care, but secretly kept an eye on him.

That was until a girl suddenly latched onto the man, asking Yun Pianran to pretend to be her older brother during a home visit.

Xun Bai held back. The next day, he made himself look covered in blood, drawing attention once again.

Sure enough, people came to scold him, grumbling as they treated his wounds.

After that, every time Xun Bai came close, Yun Pianran's ears turned red and he dodged away, like a timid cat.

That was when Xun Bai found his answer: We are the same kind of person.

-

The village was cut off from news, and the villagers were superstitious. Yun Pianran grew disappointed with the place.

On the day he left, Xun Bai walked him to the station. It suddenly started to rain. Before Yun Pianran could say what he'd kept bottled up, the car carried him away, and they parted in a rush.

Neither of them reached out again, as if by unspoken agreement. Summer passed.

Later, Shanghai was hit by a long snowy season, making the longing for summer all the stronger.

On a rare sunny day, in the vast city of Shanghai, they met again in the same flower shop.

-

"I look ahead, and you are by my side; I look back, and you are by my side."

Octavio Paz

A devoted, playful pursuer x an introverted artist

Slow burn with bittersweet angst / Fated to meet / Reunion after years apart

Some UMA content is fictionalized, so please treat it as legend or fairy tale.

Both are each other's first and only / Happy ending

Thesis: Fear nothing the world may say