Realistic or Modern &nbsp; 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗶 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

Uxie · Nov 15, 2023

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full name

yun qianyi (恽芊怡)

age

twenty-six

date of birth

september 30

place of birth

changzhou, china

occupation

events planner (entertainment)

an unfinished greeting in
the last empty space

virtues

charming

romantic

observant

lively

vices

impulsive

reticent

pessimistic

petty

A small voice lingering around me, An endless melody

history

Would it be a stretch to say Qianyi has never understood love? It seems her life has been littered with people and experiences and relationships where there is either too much or too little love — always suffocating or starving.

You ask her about love, and Qianyi has to take a moment to think about what she knows. She thinks about every single heartbreak she's been spoken to about. She thinks about Yuyan, about Junwei, about Luling, about Zihao, and about every moment they have been wronged in some way or another by Aphrodite and her wilful whims.

Sometimes, she thinks of her parents. If they'd loved each other at one point, she didn't know it. Her mother looks upon her with pity, her father not at all. They are business partners than anything, and when she accidentally spies her father with another woman, Qianyi doesn't even find it in herself to be surprised. They were a lost cause, from the very beginning.

She thinks about herself, and what little she knows. The man in her memories, and the man before her — who never loved her, and will probably never love her. She answers you, hesitantly, that perhaps love is about convenience, or intimacy, and it might sweep you off your feet but it will also leave you in ruins. She might say she doesn't care for it, or she might confess, quietly, that she wishes she could know love — where there is never too much love, where you hurt and you get hurt but it never means the end.

Qianyi considers, maybe, that if perfect love existed, perhaps it was not meant for her.

will i ever see you again?

red velvet

The world says that nothing lasts forever, but we return to orbit and meet again

coded by stardust galaxy

Stardust Galaxy · Nov 20, 2023

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full name

Xie Shanyuan

age

twenty-eight

date of birth

november 23

place of birth

shenzhen, china

occupation

General Manager

next to you, who is only left as a memory that time left behind

virtues

brave

diligent

objective

disciplined

vices

greedy

arrogant

impatient

jealous

i became the main character in a sad love story

history

Xie Shanyuan grew up among opulence and privilege, surrounded by wealth and prestige. His family’s hotel empire was expansive, each establishment a reflection of luxury and elegance.

His parents, powerful figures in the business world, were rarely seen together except in the public eye. Their marriage was a business alliance, a union of financial interests rather than hearts. The absence of genuine affection cast a shadow over Shanyuan grew up witnessing their detached relationship.

As Shanyuan grew up, he was faced with people who claimed to love him, but their intentions often felt insincere. Friends who cherished his company for the luxuries he could provide, and romantic partners, who were drawn to his family’s influence rather than to him as a person. Each relationship felt superficial, leaving him disillusioned and guarded.

His perceptions of love were further ruined by witnessing the fake relationships around him, the betrayals, and the hidden motives that often followed declarations of affection. It left him believing that love was just a business affair, where one was either used or unused, but never truly loved.

LOVE STORY

epik high ft. IU

we were like magnets once cuz only when one of us turned around we grew apart

coded by stardust galaxy

Uxie · Dec 9, 2023

yun qianyi

scroll

MOOD

uncomfortable

outfit

outfit here

location

banquet hall

tags

"Your university friends?"

"Yes,"

she murmured. A finger dabbed carefully against a fresh coat of maroon lipstick as he pulled into the parking lot.

"I don't think you've met them, though. We aren't that close anymore."

They were never actually that close, to be honest. Qianyi had been better friends with the bride before she'd started dating the groom, and the subsequent friend group that had formed had largely been the work of him. She paused in her motion, eyeing her reflection uneasily. Would he be here? What was he like now?

Did he remember her?

"Ready?" Wencheng's voice snapped her out of her reverie, and she turned to find he'd already opened the car door — a hand extended to her, outstretched and waiting. She took it readily.

Her arm slinked around his as they made their way to the lift lobby, and she inhaled the familiar scent of his cologne. A light, comforting mix of mandarin and rosemary. She'd picked it out herself, and there was the slightest sense of satisfaction that he was using it. Gifts between them were, more than anything, an obligation; it was nice to know he appreciated it. As they walked, she found the rhythm of his step and fell into it carefully. Wencheng wasn't a particularly fast walker, but he was never one to slow his pace for her. There had been only one man she'd dated who had done that for her.

Once more, she found herself drawing a spiteful comparison.

Qianyi dismissed the thought with irritation as she handed in the wedding gift, but it was still every ounce of self-control not to check the seating list just in her periphery, to scan the rows and rows of names for his. She focused instead on the decorations of the foyer, noting with faux interest every fake flower and glittering balloon tagged against the railings of the staircase that led up to the banquet hall.

"Qianyi," Her head whirled as if she'd just remembered her boyfriend was with her. "Go on ahead, I need to use the washroom. Table 18, right?"

"Oh. Yeah,"

An ominous feeling rose in her chest, squashed down hastily.

"Don't be too long."

He shot her a curious smile as she released his arm, and she stared a moment too long as his back disappeared down an adjacent corridor.

Hesitantly, she stepped into the hall. Eyes scanned for her table number — 18 wasn't far from the door and thankfully, void of any familiar faces. She slid into a clothed seat without much thought, though her gaze remained hawkishly peeled to the double doors she had entered through. Was she searching for Wencheng, or someone else? She wasn't sure, either.

And then, there he was. Even from afar, she could recognise him at a glance.

Xie Shanyuan.

Her gaze dropped to her lap as soon as it caught sight of him, her hands immediately fumbling for her phone in her purse to check an inbox that usually saw no attention after work hours. Qianyi thought she could almost sense him as he approached, and her heart sank into the pit of her stomach when he paused right by her table. Sitting here? To say hello? As if they were on the right terms to be greeting each other like old friends.

Nevertheless, she looked up, feigning curiosity and surprise as her eyes came to rest on long-forgotten features. Her heart thumped dully in her chest, whatever hateful remnants of the sparks from their little fling apparently still alive and kicking — a force of habit, she insisted instead. He looked the same, maybe a bit more mature, and she wondered if she was dressed up enough to impress — just his presence alone seemed to dig up giddy, giggling feelings — until her gaze flitted past him to finally notice the girl on his arm.

Of course he'd found someone new. So had she. What had she been thinking?

Qianyi forced a smile onto her lips.

"Shanyuan,"

Her tone was measured, a careful picture of nonchalance, yet it was oddly refreshing to utter his name aloud after so many years.

"Long time no see. Are you sitting here, too?"

the girl in my memories - jeebanoff

coded by stardust galaxy

Stardust Galaxy · Dec 11, 2023

Xie Shanyuan

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MOOD

perplexed

outfit

location

banquet hall

tags

How many weddings had he attended in the last couple of months?" The answer was more than he could remember. Guess you could say he was at that age when people he knew were already settling down. However, the decision to have a steady partner for the rest of their lives could be described more like a contract for a lifetime, one where money and power reigned under one's egoist desires of the parents.

And well, Shanyuan couldn't criticize them, as he knew sooner or later he would end up in that kind of situation. Did he mind being tied up to someone based on a political and monetary agreement? Not really. That was how his perception of being with someone was built since he was born, but there was a time when that concept fractured. Back when he was a university student she was part of his life. And despite that their relationship could be categorized as a fling where they agreed to not have feelings involved, it was the time when he felt like someone that could feel something.

And despite knowing that this wasn't just your typical marriage of convenience, there was still an uneasiness he felt in the environment. Or was it only he who felt that way? Was it because being here worked as some kind of remembrance of the past, and the memories of her came vividly to haunt him in the present? She wouldn't be here, right? What were the odds they could reunite here? These were the kind of questions that revolved in Shanyuan's head.

"This is such a lovely reception, don't you think?" his companion asked for Shanyuan to return to reality.

"Yeah... it is,"

he replied with a vague smile, trying to camouflage his lack of attention from what was around him. "It seems we are assigned to table 18," Suyin spoke once again, and with a small nod of affirmation, Shanyuan started directing them towards the table.

He expected nothing except seeing her once again as he approached the table, and for the first time in a long time, his heart felt a bit of a rush. Was she ignoring him or she just didn't notice he was right there? But when her gaze met him, all the memories he had sealed at the back of his mind came back. She still looked the same, maybe the only difference was minimal changes like the length of her hair, but still, she was as beautiful as he remembered her.

"Shanyuan," Qianyi said. Her voice sent a shiver down his spine. He never really put too much thought into his name or how people addressed him. But he realized how much he missed her voice and how much it could affect him.

"Qianyi,"

he said as he tried to process what was happening. "Is she a friend from college? Aren't you going to introduce us?" Suyin spoke, and that's the moment when Shanyuan realized what was happening. Suyin's hand on his arm suddenly felt like a heavyweight as he tried to find a way to describe his relationship with the girl next to him.

In the eyes of everyone, Suyin and Shanyuan were a couple. Not one that wouldn't last due to the guy's reputation, and especially because he would only be with her until he started feeling that void once again, and he would break up with her without looking back.

"Of course, I'll introduce you. Qianyi, this is Cai Suyin, my girlfriend,"

he said before offering a seat to his date and proceeding to sit next to Qianyi.

"I wasn't expecting you to find you here. Did you come on your own?"

cry for love - Baekhyun

coded by stardust galaxy

Uxie · Dec 12, 2023

yun qianyi

scroll

MOOD

uncomfortable

outfit

location

banquet hall

tags

For a brief, few moments, it had felt like the world revolved only around them.

His partner's voice cut through the imaginary bubble, as if reminding them that she was still there. "Is she a friend from college? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Somehow, the words stung. A friend from college.

Qianyi's gaze flitted to the girl, lingering a moment too long on where her arm connected to his before lifting to her face. She was pretty, not that she'd expected otherwise. Inwardly, she chided herself again; his love life was none of her business. "Of course, I'll introduce you. Qianyi, this is Cai Suyin, my girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you."

She offered a hand to the girl.

"Shanyuan and I knew each other from university."

The handshake was no longer than necessary, and her mind stuttered as Shanyuan took the seat next to her before she hesitantly sat, too. It made sense — they knew each other better, but was their history not something to consider, too?

Maybe this was all the indication she needed to tell her that she was the only one still overthinking things.

"I wasn't expecting you to find you here. Did you come on your own?"

She laughed lightly, a painfully awkward sound even to her.

"I am Xiaolian's friend, too, you know?"

she said, her tone gaining a teasing lilt,

"I knew her before you, even."

Thinking back to their university years was an odd thing, knowing how little they had spoken to one another in their later years. Their relationship seemed to have dismantled all at once, the day he'd broken things off seemingly crumbling even taking the meagre friendship they had forged with it; all because he'd gotten bored. She couldn't be really upset about it when that was what they'd agreed on from the beginning — it was her who had gotten too much in over her head.

The rest of the friend group had become inevitably fractured, too, though adults as they were, chalked it up to nothing but the passing of time pulling them apart. Admittedly, Qianyi was pleased at the thought of seeing them again after many years.

"And my partner,"

She paused, uneasily. Why was she hesitating? Wencheng and she had been dating seriously for more than four years. There was nothing about it that wasn't set in stone nor worth dithering over.

"He's coming soon. I'll introduce you, later."

Her gaze shifted to Suyin, and the question slipped from her lips before she could think it through.

"And what about you? How long have you two been dating?"

"Suyin, you look gorgeous! Shanyuan's a lucky guy."

It was true, but the sweet compliment was nonetheless empty, the kind she used for clients and business partners; to appease her own heart, more than anything.

the girl in my memories - jeebanoff

coded by stardust galaxy

Stardust Galaxy · Dec 12, 2023

Xie Shanyuan

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MOOD

perplexed

outfit

location

banquet hall

tags

My girlfriend. Those words left a sour taste in Shanyuan's mouth despite being the truth, was it because deep down those two words were just a barrier for her to notice after all these years he was still hers; It kind of stupid to think that as he was the one that broke things off with the excuse that he got bored if only she knew there wasn't not a single moment back when they were together when he didn't feel alive.

Hearing back her laugh after all those years was like music to the ears, it was still the same as he remembered sweet and not loud. "I am Xiaolian's friend, too, you know? I knew her before you, even." She said in a teasing tone and he let out a small laugh, it was the first time in a long time that he felt it wasn't a fake one.

"Yeah I remember you two being close, but wouldn't you say out of the two; I was the one that got to know you better than her?”

As those words were said, he remembered all the times they spent together, the memories despite the time that had already passed felt like a breath of fresh air. How did they manage to go on like this after they parted ways? Or maybe the answer was that he was never able to accept it and he just learned to live with the ghost of Yun Qianyi after all these years.

But this small reverie that he was feeling suddenly came to an end as she continued speaking. "And my partner." Those three words resonated in Shanyuan's head over and over again, of course, she had a partner, it wasn't like he wouldn't believe she could move on after all she did even before they ended up things so while he wasn't surprised it still felt like a punch on the gut.

"Oh, we have been dating for a couple of months. You could say we are still in the honeymoon phase, right Shanyuan?" Suyin spoke with full honesty.

"Yeah, guess we still are at that stage,"

Shanyuan replied and it was kind of heartbreaking knowing that despite Suyin's feelings being sincere, the guy would never be able to reciprocate them.

"Everyone tells me that, but I must admit I am pretty lucky too for dating him. Also, why don't you tell me how Shanyuan was back in university he has always been so closed off he barely tells me things from his past."

cry for love - Baekhyun

coded by stardust galaxy

Uxie · Dec 15, 2023

yun qianyi

scroll

MOOD

uncomfortable

outfit

location

banquet hall

tags

"You could say we are still in the honeymoon phase, right Shanyuan?" Qianyi regarded Suyin with a half-smile, the other girl's endearment all too clear in her features. His response was less readable, and she wondered if his views on love were the same they were before — it had been one of the few things they agreed openly on.

"Also, why don't you tell me how Shanyuan was back in university he has always been so closed off he barely tells me things from his past." That was nothing new. Qianyi hazarded a glance at her old friend, as if asking for permission. His unchanging expression offered no objection, so she obliged.

"He's always been like that. A bit of a pain in the ass,"

she said, with a mock-exasperated eye-roll,

"The type who always needs to get the last word. I hope he's matured, sincerely. We were..."

She trailed off, old memories surfacing uneasily, dragging with them a faint sense of nostalgia and grief.

"Good friends."

she finished, with another forced smile.

She would admit she'd missed him, but missing someone didn't always mean you wanted to see them again. Qianyi thought she could've gone the rest of her life never seeing him again — at least, a few more years later would have been better, so she had more time to forget what he had been to her. Then, he really would have been nothing but an old friend.

As if he'd been drawn in by her discomfort, Wencheng's voice sounded from behind her. "Catching up already?" His voice was easy, a smooth timbre that soothed her worries but had never elicited the quickened beat of her heart. His hand had found its way onto her bare shoulder, though his attention was turned towards the couple beside them. She snatched the opportunity like a lifeline, pushing herself to her feet to stand next to her boyfriend.

"Yeah, um,"

she said, fingers pinching the cuff of his jacket as she stood close to him,

"This is my boyfriend, Wencheng."

As she gestured to each of the other guests, he extended a hand in greeting.

"This is Shanyuan, an old friend, and his girlfriend, Suyin. He's—"

She paused, staring at Shanyuan blankly; hit by the shameful realisation that she'd completely zeroed in on him and Suyin instead of discussing anything substantial.

"Sorry, you're... doing business, right?"

the girl in my memories - jeebanoff

coded by stardust galaxy

Stardust Galaxy · Jan 28, 2024

Xie Shanyuan

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MOOD

perplexed

outfit

location

banquet hall

tags

The conversation, despite being just small talk, felt out of place. Perhaps it was because one of the girls was a reminder of his past, and the other was now the present one that he decided to pursue more under the influence of economic convenience rather than one guided towards the feelings of love. Although he was starting to wonder if Suyin wasn’t the one seeing their relationship the other way around.

Shanyuan chuckled, a somewhat awkward smile displaying on his lips as Qianyi replied to his date. It was quite amusing seeing how, after all this time, he knew how she would describe him. “Well, I guess I’ve always been a bit of an enigma,” he said, glancing at Qianyi with a suspicious look. “Some things don’t change, do they?”

“Good friends.” Those words echoed inside his mind and stung in his heart. Sure, that was the best way to describe them. After all, they had never agreed on being a couple, so why bother calling them by that label? It was obvious that they were more than good friends. Or perhaps the only one who saw them more than good friends was only him.

But then the appearance of someone new was not something that Shanyuan expected. Although it wasn’t like he couldn’t see that coming, despite that he didn’t want to accept the truth that Qianyi would also have someone in her life. It would almost be like a sin knowing that someone as amazing as Qianyi could be alone; it was almost unthinkable. The thing was that it pained him to see her with someone else that wasn’t him. So while the words "boyfriend" felt like a bunch of needles in his heart, he forced a light smile as Qianyi introduced them.

Shanyuan reached for Wencheng's hand as he accepted his greeting.

“Yes, I do business. I am the general manager of a well-known hotel chain, to be more specific.”

He replied,

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

cry for love - Baekhyun

coded by stardust galaxy

Uxie · Feb 29, 2024

yun qianyi

scroll

MOOD

uncomfortable

outfit

location

banquet hall

tags

There was the slightest bit of unease as Shanyuan took Wencheng's hand, and her eyes watched as they joined in a firm shake, as if the mere interaction were at risk of going disastrously wrong. Her worlds were colliding, she supposed.

"Yes, I do business." She gave a smile in return, somewhat relieved she wasn't that far off the mark. "I am the general manager of a well-known hotel chain, to be more specific. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

"A hotel chain?" Wencheng said, his voice slipping into a familiar business-like tone. He'd always been so quick to code-switch — she remembered it well from the night they became a couple. "Interesting."

"Wencheng's a surgeon,"

she interjected, pushing herself closer still to her boyfriend. He hesitated, just briefly, before his hand slipped obligingly across her back to curve across the waistline of her dress; loosely, as if the lightest swat would bat it away, but a show of closeness nonetheless. They exchanged a look, the slight lift of his eyebrows telling her enough that she'd be explaining this to him later. Qianyi would tell, of course, she just wasn't sure if he'd care enough to listen. It was a meagre, desperate attempt at a facade against someone she could not care less about.

Should care less about.

"And she plans events I could never pull off. Different worlds." He continued, without missing a beat. They really did put on a good show — at least they had something to show for the years they'd spent together. If she could convince his mother, she was confident to face an ex-lover, even if his gaze seemed to bore right into her soul.

Her eyes darted quickly to Suyin, standing off to the side in this outwardly warm reunion. A hint of sourness hung off the edge of her expression, though her lips curved into a smile as soon as Qianyi caught met her gaze. She took it as her cue to speak.

"And, you, Suyin?"

The question seemed to catch the girl off-guard, and her cheeks tinted pink before her smile widened. "I'm... not working at the moment." She could see Suyin's grip tighten around Shanyuan's arm. "Taking some time off after graduating, you know?"

An uneasy silence fell onto the group, a hesitant half-smile sitting atop Qianyi's lips as she considered what to respond. Assurance? Encouragement? If you marry Shanyuan, you'd probably be set for life, probably! Somewhere, a bitter voice chided that he probably wasn't taking this relationship seriously, either. He was a man who seemed to abhor the idea of commitment, and she was doubtful that had changed in the years they'd lost contact.

"Shall we sit?" Wencheng's voice cut through the uneasy silence, spurring the others into motion. He reached for the chair next to hers, and Qianyi jumped to grab his wrist as her other hand reached for the purse she'd left on the seat. Her voice dropped low, words whispered to his chest as she moved to his other side, away from the other couple.

"Sorry, I'll sit here instead."

the girl in my memories - jeebanoff

coded by stardust galaxy

Stardust Galaxy · Saturday at 2:13 AM

Xie Shanyuan

scroll

MOOD

perplexed

outfit

location

banquet hall

tags