Atonement

(This story has been revised, and a 70% anti-theft rate is in place. Thanks for supporting the official version.)

Thoughtful, rugged man and bartender x sweet, timid girl who only throws her weight around at home and volunteer

*Pseudo-siblings

*The younger sister is hard of hearing

Reunion:

The moment the streetlights came on, the man across the street was waving at her.

As if nothing had changed, as if he were saying hello after a long time to any other friend.

But beneath the dim yellow lights, the scattered stars in those dark eyes flickered. Reading his indistinct lips, she clearly understood:

"I've missed you so much."

She had learned to read lips over the past four years, but the stubborn man across from her had no idea.

Childhood:

Qi Kun was like wild grass. He could live with or without anyone, and lived wildly, fiercely, and without end.

Taking advantage of the wildfire, Yu Qi'an slipped into this savage land and unwittingly burned it to the ground, leaving pale yellow flowers in its wake.

She rose with the wind and spread like wildfire, yet could also take root in the cracks between forest rocks alongside moss and ferns, stubbornly holding on to her pride.

With a tenacious refusal to give in, she spent the rest of her life atoning for the wind's sins.

Female lead's perspective:

That day, in the dazed sunlight, he knocked on her door in rags and stayed for four years.

He was easy to keep, as if breathing alone was enough to fill his stomach.

She thought she'd found a lifeline, never realizing he was seaweed lurking in the depths, dragging her into a place of no return.

Fate forced her to draw near, yet destined an impassable chasm of distance to lie between them.

Male lead's perspective:

In the middle of a noisy night, he was called out of a nightclub. His head was pounding, but he spotted someone hiding in the shadows at a glance.

She wore a moon-white dress that fell to her knees, staring fixedly at him from the darkness. A faint light shimmered in her eyes, two parts pleading and eight parts resolve.

Just like those eyes beside the rippling pond all those years ago.

Theme: Though battered by a thousand blows, remain unyielding, whatever the winds from east, west, north, or south