When Dusk Falls

The day Wen Can saw Song Qinglan again was a damp, rainy night.

The man was just as taciturn, aloof, and proud as she remembered, yet unexpectedly, he reached out to help her.

Wen Can tentatively tried to start a conversation. When she learned that he had also lived in this city for years, she murmured without thinking, "How come I've never run into you...?"

"Qiaobei is a big place," Song Qinglan said.

*

In ninth grade, Wen Can and Song Qinglan briefly sat together.

He was quiet and solitary, always giving off an unapproachable air.

Wen Can took it upon herself to drag him out to enjoy the wind and watch the snow, chase sunsets and evening clouds, tell jokes to make him laugh, and sneak out in the middle of the night to go on adventures. She tried every trick in the book.

When Song Qinglan agreed to be her friend, she was happy for a long, long time.

But even the closest days are eventually shattered by time. Wen Can entered high school, made plenty of new friends, and gradually let the memories of that brief chapter of her life fade away.

Song Qinglan, however, kept them in his heart for ten years.

*

Until Wen Can discovered his secret.

*

Later, on the shore as dusk fell,

Song Qinglan stood with the slowly sinking sun behind him. Looking at her, he spoke with solemn sincerity:

"You can do anything you want. That's who you are, Wen Can."

"Even though I love you."

*

Cool and reserved x bright and passionate

Reunion after years apart / Unrequited love comes true

[Reading Guide]

1. This is a romance-focused story. The male lead has a secret crush on the female lead. He's painfully awkward and can't bring himself to speak plainly, so please forgive his convoluted behavior. The female lead is direct about her feelings.

2. The female lead has a crazy ex-boyfriend. The male lead has never been in love before. One-on-one pairing, both leads are each other's first, happy ending.

3. They do not date while underage! Study hard and do well every day. We don't encourage young love.

4. Updated daily. If you have suggestions, please share them kindly. Thanks for reading!

*My next book, Rainbow Dream Skiff, is available to follow in my author profile. Here's the blurb:

When Shen Youlian and Pei Zhizhou first became a married couple through an arranged alliance, they couldn't stand each other.

They drew a line between them and each swore that whoever crossed it would be the loser.

Shen Youlian spent months alone in their home, enjoying her freedom and turning a blind eye to her husband, whose marriage was a formality in name only.

She never expected Pei Zhizhou to stand before her one day, smile, and admit, "I'm the loser."

*

As a newcomer who had barely stepped into the entertainment industry, Shen Youlian gained a little online attention thanks to a dating show and successfully landed her first acting role.

More immediately, the show had invited Pei Zhizhou, a wildly popular genius musician, to be an in-studio guest and boost its ratings.

But as everyone watched, they began to feel that something was off...

One superstar stayed calm and irreverent throughout, but when the screen showed Shen Youlian with the male guests, his sharp tongue came out in full force.

"None of them are any good."

"Shen Youlian likes him? I don't think so."

"...Why is that guy putting his hands all over her???"

The audience: I think I'm kind of shipping them. (grabbing popcorn.jpg)

*

One day, after they stopped sleeping in separate rooms,

Shen Youlian had been teased so badly that she decided she'd been far too lenient with him before and should take a few more liberties.

She hooked a leg around him and roused the sleeping man. Even with a hoarse voice, she asked with righteous indignation, "Why don't you say that again? What are you, exactly?"

Pei Zhizhou's eyes were half closed, but his arms instinctively tightened around her. Hearing her question, he gave a sleepy, indistinct laugh and lowered his head to kiss her delicate eyelids.

"I'm yours."

*

Sharp-tongued, jealous young master x seemingly sweet but genuinely flirtatious woman with an even sharper tongue

Two childish people outwit each other every day.

"In a rainbow-colored dream, I shape a little boat and drift into your heart."

[Reading Guide]

1. Neither lead is an idol, so there's no question of betraying their fans.

2. The male lead is sharp-tongued and unconventional. People online criticize him too, and opinions are divided, but he doesn't care at all.

3. There are no real-life inspirations. The entertainment industry is entirely fictional, so please don't read too much into it. One-on-one pairing, both leads are each other's first, happy ending.

Theme: I love you, and you are free.