Apricot Blossom Rain [Sentinel and Guide]

Li Xingzhen x Chou Shanyu

Guide x Guide (non-typical)

An outstanding, diligent, gentle, ambitious hard-working student x a monster-level superhuman genius and chief (his abilities are roughly equivalent to a Sentinel and Guide of the same rank combined)

A non-typical Sentinel-Guide setting, wasteland fantasy, with lots of original worldbuilding (almost none of the basic setting remains), and no spirit animals

A secret crush like a shower of apricot blossoms, and a journey to chase the stars

Jiamin was eating in the cafeteria when she got a call from Li Xingzhen. There was static, and she could barely make out what she was saying. Her voice sounded as if it were bubbling beneath the surface.

But even without hearing, she knew it was another one of those slightly neurotic stories about her unrequited crush.

“...Chief Chou and I had dinner this weekend... progress... At least this time, when he touched my shoulder, I didn’t have a psychic meltdown.”

“...What should I do... Analyze...”

Jiamin: “I can’t hear you. The signal’s bad. Speak up.”

“At the end, I asked Chief Chou if there was anything in the world he couldn’t do.” Li Xingzhen’s voice was hazy. “He smiled and said, ‘I don’t know how to make you feel completely free to love me.’ What do you think that means?”

Jiamin: “...”

“Does he know I have a crush on him, or was he joking? Everyone in the Guide Tower likes him, and there’s nothing special about me, so is ‘free’ the important part? Does he think my crush will affect my grades, so I have to clear my mind of distractions to meet the Tower’s standards?”

Jiamin: “...”

“Most people would make things awkward if they knew someone they weren’t interested in had a crush on them, but I didn’t sense any change in the chief’s emotions at all,” Li Xingzhen said, almost to herself. “He’s a one-of-a-kind genius. To him, being liked must be like getting surrounded by a pack of dogs on the street, so that’s why he’s so approachable. Is that it?”

Jiamin: “...”

As she spoke, Li Xingzhen suddenly grew sad. “If no one can work hard enough to reach the same heights as him, will he be lonely?”

“Enough.” Jiamin took a deep breath. “I’m having lunch with your chief.”

Li Xingzhen: “Huh...?”

Chou Shanyu took the phone and held it to his ear, pinning it between his shoulder and cheek. With one hand, he swept his loosely hanging tie back over his shoulder; with the other, he stirred his nutrient drink like instant coffee. “Sorry, I didn’t quite manage to rein in my senses, so I overheard.”

Li Xingzhen: “...”

“Your attitude is earnest, your thoughts are profound, and your logic is clear.” Chou Shanyu chuckled lazily. His outfit ought to have looked rakish, but his perfectly proportioned figure made him look as dashing as a knight. “Write up a report and submit it to me. Call it ‘A Few Matters Concerning Comrade Chou Shanyu’s Romantic Conduct.’ How does that sound?”

A gentle, serene, slightly neurotic superfan x a universally adored, celebrity-level chief whose stories he’s listened to since childhood

This should be a very short romance, a few hundred thousand words of everyday life, written casually for relaxation

Theme: Have the courage to chase someone to the ends of the earth