The Moon's Orbit Falls into Disorder

1.

In her first year of high school, Tao Nian saw Lin Zhiyun on the sports field for the first time.

At twenty-five, Lin Zhiyun stood in the morning light, which brushed her cascading hair like a handful of pear blossoms ruffled by the spring breeze.

Later, Tao Nian learned for the first time what it felt like to love someone. Even if she could never let that person know, even if all she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat.

At the graduation party, someone had invited Lin Zhiyun. In a dim, cramped alley, the eighteen-year-old girl, emboldened by alcohol and driven by a heart full of courage, choked out a question: "Lin Zhiyun, I..."

"Don't say it." She heard Lin Zhiyun reply, firm and decisive.

2.

Seven years later, at the final of the provincial teachers' skills competition, Lin Zhiyun saw the name "Tao Nian" on a desk placard in the judges' section.

The judge from a key provincial high school looked down on School No. 21, a little-known school with poor students, and on Lin Zhiyun, a contestant from that school.

Tao Nian slammed her pen down on the table. "If your school believes a teacher's worth is determined by university admission rates, then perhaps we should revisit the judging criteria."

No one knew that Lin Zhiyun had waited seven whole years for her.

Only the Bodhisattva at Jin Guang Temple remembered:

The year Tao Nian sat the college entrance exam with a fever, Lin Zhiyun knelt before the Buddha and made a vow:

"I, your devotee, am willing to trade all the love fate has granted me in this life for her success and a future without limits."

Later, she bowed her head again:

"Bodhisattva, forgive me for being greedy this once... I beg you to let us share the same tide."

"On summer nights in Jinzhou, sixteen-year-old Tao Nian would ride an old bicycle through the narrow alleys between the apartment blocks, going back and forth to her tutoring lessons. Overhead, clotheslines crisscrossed one another. When the wind swept by, old school uniforms danced on the lines, carrying a familiar lavender scent. She had searched seven or eight supermarkets and compared them again and again before finding the same fragrance as the one on Lin Zhiyun's clothes. Now, that scent was wrapped in the evening breeze, drifting through the summer cicadas' cries to rest gently against her cheek, like a silent embrace.

Lin Zhiyun was the only tide in her youth. It ebbed and flowed for seven years, until at last it became an answering call."

[Bonus Scene]

One evening, while sorting through old belongings, Tao Nian found a graduation photo she had kept safe.

On the back of the photo was a line of delicate handwriting:

"The tide has broken its promise, the moon has strayed from its course.

Across rivers and seas we now depart, with no more tides to share."

And now, beneath those words, a fresh line of handwriting had appeared:

"The tide will keep its promise, the moon return to its old course.

I'll cross rivers and seas, just to share the tide with you."

Originally titled Leaving You, Coming Closer to You, the novel underwent a complete rewrite beginning June 9, 2025, with the school-life sections filled out.

The main story was completed on November 14, 2025. The first full revision was completed on November 19, 2025, and the bonus chapters were completed on November 24, 2025.

There may be occasional minor edits. If the novel is marked as under review, it means I've made another revision. Please bear with me.

Reader's Guide:

1. Main characters: Tao Nian x Lin Zhiyun (25 vs. 35 | They are essentially switch)

2. The main couple are never in a relationship while they are at school.

3. The story opens with their reunion (Chapters 1-5), followed by their school days (Chapters 6-46). From Chapter 47 onward, it follows their reunion and careers in the education system.

4. Lin Zhiyun went on a few blind dates early on, but they are just background details. One-on-one pairing, both are each other's first and only.

5. The cast is almost entirely female. There are both good and bad women, so read with caution if that bothers you.

Supporting characters: Jiang Feng (22), Yu Ganggang (22), Lu Jinnian (29), Jiang Luohuan (34), Ruan Cong (28)

Theme: I don't want the moon to come to me. I want to become your moon.