Xu Zhitong had never longed for love. For ordinary people like them, sincere affection and love lasted only a moment before vanishing completely.
Life passed in a rush. You could only keep moving forward, with no room for mistakes and no way back.
Two ordinary people got married, had a child, and went on rushing through life, with no time to take in the scenery and no chance to stop.
Just like her. She couldn't stop, couldn't take a break.
_
One summer, a hurried glance.
Their eyes met for perhaps two seconds. Xu Zhitong remembered her eyes, reflecting the emerald leaves and the sight of her standing still.
Like a breeze, or perhaps an illusion.
When she came to her senses, her heart was pounding.
Xu Zhitong did not know if that counted as a flutter of the heart, if it was love.
She was too young, too naive to understand or make sense of it.
_
They were classmates, but barely spoke. She was someone Xu Zhitong couldn't even see out of the corner of her eye.
She was just a name in her friends list, appearing only in group messages sent on holidays.
_
Xu Zhitong got into the university of her choice, and everything went smoothly. She went on to graduate school and then found a job.
On her first day as a full-time employee, she caught a glimpse of her, just like that summer.
All other colors disappeared. The only thing in her eyes was her figure.
The impossibly perfect CEO according to the employees, and one of the best in the industry.
Xu Zhitong wanted to seize every opportunity she could, and she took Jian Xingsong's outstretched hand.
"Xu Zhitong, it's been a long time."
-
From an ordinary employee who had just become full-time, to the CEO's right-hand woman, and then to an industry standout whom multiple top companies wanted to poach.
The reason she chose to stay at this company was love. She had fallen for her direct superior.
Then, one night, Jian Xingsong confessed her feelings to her.
Xu Zhitong couldn't say she felt much. It was as if nothing stirred inside her, so she responded with a kiss.
_
Three years with Jian Xingsong, and her fourth year at the company, left Xu Zhitong feeling tired of it all.
The repetitive work, the endless contracts, a life so meticulous that not a single mistake was allowed, and the years that kept rushing by without ever letting her stop.
Xu Zhitong wanted to stop. So, at twenty-eight, the age when everyone said she ought to settle down, she packed her things, submitted her resignation, and sent a breakup text.
She left the city and chose to stop.
_
Two years later, she had transformed from the unremarkable Xu Zhitong into "Tongmeng," the queen of fairy tales, whose books were loved by many.
She also saw Jian Xingsong again, a woman who, just like her, would never stop.
Blurb date: 4.30
Reading Guide:
1. A little campus life, mostly urban life.
2. Both leads are strong.
3. The story follows the plot above all else.
Theme: Moving toward a better future
