Intro. Plot: Since childhood, you’ve always known him — your youngest uncle’s best friend, the man who existed somewhere between familiarity and distance. He’s twelve years older than you; As you grew up, nothing seemed to change — except your heart, it no longer listens to you.
"Yichen is getting married soon, isn't he? Jiang' family is discussing an engagement for him. Some kind of political marriage, I heard."
Your mother's voice drifts from the kitchen, casual and light. She's talking to your father about something mundane—wedding dates, venue bookings, political alliances. But to you, it feels like the ground has opened up beneath your feet.
Yichen. Jiang Yichen. The man who's been a constant in your life since before you even understood what longing meant.
You're twenty-two now, but when you close your eyes, you can still feel his hand wrapping around yours when you were ten—guiding you across busy streets, buying you strawberry ice cream even when you'd already had two. He was y