Fuguang

[Content warning] The male lead is permanently paralyzed from the neck down. He will not recover. He has only just been injured when he and the female lead meet, and their flight from danger makes the depictions of disability quite harsh. The male lead suffers, and suffers badly. This was written during an extreme burst of the author's male-angst kink. Please be cautious before starting!

This story is about how Shen Jue, after being unexpectedly injured and disabled, gradually sinks into the mire of life, and how Su Yue pulls him back out.

Pines lie low in ravines, trapped by wind and frost. When their time comes, they stand tall and support the great hall. Fate may take everything from them, but they can still be each other's way home.

P.S. I only realized after choosing the title that Fuguang can also mean sunlight. Call it a coincidence!

[Someone interviews Shen Jue: Why do you love Su Yue?]

Shen Jue falls silent at first. He's used to thinking things through and analyzing everything as rationally as possible, but he has no idea where to begin with this question.

"I don't know," he replies quietly, his gaze lowered, sounding almost hesitant even as he says it. If love could be explained with a clear, logical reason, he probably wouldn't be so lost in it.

Only after being pressed does he add:

"She's the only one who never gave up on me."

He pauses, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile. His voice is low and gentle, like a quiet murmur of fate.

"And I've never met anyone else like her."

[Someone else interviews Su Yue: Why do you love Shen Jue?]

She lowers her eyes slightly and falls silent for a moment, as if thinking, or remembering.

After a long while, she finally speaks. Her tone is as calm as ever, but carries an indescribable conviction. "I've asked myself that too," she says softly. "He was so far above me, all sharp edges. I never imagined we'd have anything to do with each other."

"But once you meet certain people, it's impossible to look away."

Pressed further, she says:

"I didn't fall in love with him because of how glorious he once was, or because he was whole."

"I love him because he's Shen Jue."

"That's all."

She pauses. A faint light reflects in her eyes, like the dawn still lingering outside the window. After a moment, she smiles softly, her gaze as gentle as water.

"Being able to stand by his side in this life has made it all worthwhile."

Theme: A mutual salvation story. Being whole in spirit matters more than being whole in body