The Rain I Cannot Cross

1: New Book Coming Soon: The Gray Dog and the Seagull

On the first stormy day of summer solstice, Pei Xi takes shelter from the rain in a convenience store by the school gate. Zhou Yuhuai appears just then.

His shirt is buttoned to the collar. He's like the moon above snowy peaks, noble and aloof.

Light rain drifts between them as Zhou Yuhuai tilts his umbrella toward Pei Xi.

The rain dampens one side of his school uniform, and Pei Xi's girlish heart blooms like a plant in spring.

The next day, Pei Xi goes to the basketball court to return his umbrella. Zhou Yuhuai, wearing a black-and-red jersey, plays with carefree abandon, sweating freely as a restless crowd of admirers gathers around him.

A friend points Pei Xi out amid the screams. Zhou Yuhuai's dunk falters for a moment. His expression remains cool and distant. "I don't know her."

Pei Xi's fingers tighten around the umbrella until her knuckles turn white. She leaves without a second thought.

Later, on a summer night, in a corner shrouded in thick fog, an old lamp hides the boy's reddened eyes.

Zhou Yuhuai holds her hand and asks timidly, "What are we now?"

2

They meet again at a funeral.

By then, Zhou Yuhuai is the head of the Zhou Group and a stock market sniper, regularly making headlines in both the business and entertainment sections.

Pei Xi, meanwhile, is merely a hired estate clearance specialist, standing quietly in a corner.

Dressed in black, Zhou Yuhuai pays his respects to the deceased elder. As he passes Pei Xi, he doesn't even glance her way.

His arranged-marriage partner cautiously asks for his opinion. "Grandpa is seriously ill. Could we put the marriage arrangement on hold?"

Zhou Yuhuai's deep eyes remain calm as he gives a noncommittal nod.

Pei Xi's throat tightens. She lowers her head to hide her emotions.

In the hallway of her rented apartment building, someone pulls half her light jacket off. Their breaths are ragged as they clash against each other.

Pei Xi's voice is weak from lack of air. "You already have a fiancée. What do you call it when you keep coming after me?"

Zhou Yuhuai's lips move to her ear. He whispers like a devil, "Don't you like this kind of relationship, hidden from the light?"

We don't have to make peace with ourselves...

Blurb for The Gray Dog and the Seagull:

The day You Lu realizes Chen Xizhou dislikes her, she moves to the front row, decides to end her two-year crush, and immediately deletes Chen Xizhou.

That night, though, her alternate account receives a message from Chen Xizhou:

"Who are you?"

After much thought, she replies with a fake name and a bold message.

[Show me your abs]

Chen Xizhou: ...

From then on, hiding behind her fake identity, she flirts with Chen Xizhou every day.

Even after she keeps flirting with him for a while, he doesn't catch on at all.

She hides her identity carefully. Even when she can't hold back and confesses, then deletes him again, she does it all under a fake name.

At their graduation party, she cries as she puts an end to her unrequited love.

Just then, Chen Xizhou, who should be overseas competing, suddenly appears at the door. His fringe is slightly damp with rain, but his refined bearing remains undiminished.

In the dead silence, he walks straight toward You Lu.

His tall figure, still damp from the rain, envelops You Lu. Without a word of greeting, he corners her on the sofa.

A faint hint of hurt appears in his eyes, and his low voice makes her heart tremble.

"You like me?"

"If you like me, why did you delete me?"

When the gray dog meets the seagull, their encounter need not be fleeting.

The gray dog pauses for the seagull, and the seagull comes ashore for the gray dog.

Theme: Travel far along mountain paths and rivers to see the world and find yourself