Sigwell is a small country in Northern Europe, sitting right in the middle of the North Atlantic.
Thanks to its natural geographical advantages, its land is covered with vast grasslands, volcanoes rise in the east, and along the coast, huge glaciers stretch for miles.
In most places, you even get a chance to see the northern lights at night.
It’s well known that creating art requires a lot of inspiration.
With its rare, breathtaking landscapes, Sigwell naturally became a paradise for artists.
The world’s top art university is located here.
Sigwell Academy of Art and Design boasts the best teachers on the planet. Its admissions are open to anyone from anywhere in the world—age doesn’t matter, as long as you have a portfolio to show.
If, after passing layers of tough selection, you’re lucky enough to be accepted, you get to study at the school of your dreams.
But offers don’t last forever.
Lin Wangye glanced at the date and realized this offer had arrived a week ago. The paper copy was delayed, but the digital version had already reached the email inbox instantly.
According to the date, he needed to respond within 20 days.
In his past life, Uncle Shi went abroad when he was five.
Lin Wangye never expected something like this to happen.
He had assumed Shi Yuan would receive this offer six years later, just like in their previous life.
By then, they would have just finished college, and their financial situation would be much better than it is now. If Suihe’s condition continued to improve as expected, by that time he should be living like any normal kid.
With all worries solved, Lin Wangye could have gone to Sigwell with Shi Yuan to continue his studies.
But now, the offer had arrived six years early.
It caught him completely off guard and disrupted all his plans.
He didn’t know exactly what went wrong in between, but he understood that to earn such an offer, a portfolio had to stand out globally—it was almost impossible.
And his lover had that kind of talent.
He had never doubted it for a second.
Footsteps reached his ears. Lin Wangye slowly turned his head and met those eyes that had haunted his dreams.
“What’s wrong? Did you catch a cold…”
When Shi Yuan saw the document in Lin Wangye’s hand, his voice—cut off mid-cough—fell silent. He pursed his lips and didn’t continue speaking.
Lin Wangye stared at him for a long moment. His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times before he found his voice again. Forcing a stiff smile, he curved his eyes and said, “You got accepted… Why didn’t you tell me such amazing news?”
The air felt unnaturally still, as if time itself had paused.
For the first time, Shi Yuan stayed silent after Lin Wangye spoke.
After a moment, Lin Wangye shifted his gaze back to the offer in his hand and whispered, “How did you get in? You’re really incredible…”
Taking only a few steps toward him, Shi Yuan’s feet felt as heavy as lead.
He half-squatted beside Lin Wangye and spoke softly.
“After borrowing that money from Lin Shen, I spent some time finishing my works and completed all the unfinished pieces before sending them out. At first, it was just a try—I didn’t expect a professor to contact me by email.”
Through his words, Lin Wangye finally understood what had happened.
Last year, Lin Shen had given him 430,000 yuan on a card. The timing of that money was perfect—it arrived just in time for the best treatment period and saved Suihe from the clutches of death.
Maybe it wasn’t a big deal in front of Lin Shen.
But for Xu Suihe’s family, it was a favor bigger than the sky.
Faced with such an amount, which for ordinary people would be a fortune, Shi Yuan kept thinking about how to pay it back.
And for him, there weren’t many ways to change fate.
The fastest way to gain recognition and wealth was to study abroad at Sigwell Academy of Art and Design.
So, he threw himself into it, day and night, polishing his portfolio and sending out his application.
What he didn’t expect was that, after months of waiting, he suddenly received an email from one of the professors at the academy, saying they wanted to talk about his design inspirations and ideas.
It was only after talking that Shi Yuan learned the professor had stumbled upon his cheongsam design inspired by ‘Willows and Sparrows’.
The professor was passionate about Chinese traditional art and found the depth built over centuries fascinating. Naturally, designs with such an old Eastern vibe caught their interest.
After their conversation, the professor told him to wait for a reply.
And wait he did—longer than he could imagine.
Soon after, Lin Wangye got into trouble.
From that moment, Shi Yuan poured all his focus into Lin Wangye and didn’t think about the offer again—until, a few days after the college entrance exam results came out, the offer from across the ocean arrived abruptly.
Sigwell Academy of Art and Design has three main standards:
Portfolio, experience, grades.
You need to excel in at least two of them to have a chance of getting in.
Clearly, the professor really admired Shi Yuan. The delay in acceptance was just them waiting for his domestic academic results.
After hearing the full story, Lin Wangye stared blankly at the dense English letters on the offer, his mind unable to catch up.
Shi Yuan saw the dazed look in his eyes and felt a surge of unease.
He grabbed the paper from Lin Wangye’s fingers, tossed it aside, took his hand in one hand, and gently caressed his face with the other. His voice was soft:
“Don’t think too much. I’m not going. I’ll go with you to Ningchang University.”
Lin Wangye said nothing. Slowly, he returned the grip, lowering his eyes to hide the shock and despair he felt inside.
Ningchang University’s art program was decent.
But compared to this offer, it wasn’t even in the same league.
For a designer, putting ‘Graduated from Ningchang University’ on a resume wasn’t the same as ‘Graduated from Sigwell Academy of Art and Design.’
The former was just a line on a resume.
The latter was a golden ticket in the design world.
Only a few hundred students entered this top-tier design program each year. While still studying, they became talents that every company fought over. And after graduation? The world was theirs.
Shi Yuan had the ability to achieve that.
In his past life, the six-year delay in going abroad was probably due to family issues. He only had enough money years later to apply.
“If…” Lin Wangye rolled his dry throat and whispered, “If I hadn’t seen it, would you have told me?”
Shi Yuan hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly:
“I wanted to keep it to myself. Didn’t want to pressure you.”
The boy’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he didn’t speak for a long time. After a while, he opened his palm and whispered:
“Let me see it.”
“Lin Wangye, I—”
“Let me see it again.”
Lin Wangye cut him off.
Shi Yuan opened his mouth, then hesitated, finally reaching down to pick up the offer he had tossed on the floor and handed it back.
After reading it from beginning to end again, Lin Wangye silently placed the offer back into layer after layer of file folders. He took a long, deep look at the EMS address he hadn’t paid much attention to at first, and exhaled quietly, as if he had finally made a decision.
“Go.”
Shi Yuan froze: “What did you say?”
“I said… go.” Lin Wangye covered his hand with his own, turned his wrist so the offer rested in his palm, and slowly looked up at him: “You know where you’re meant to be.”
Even though these words came from the deepest sincerity in his heart, Lin Wangye’s nose and the corners of his eyes flushed red, visibly.
Shi Yuan didn’t expect him to say that.
After all, he had always been busy—school and all the part-time jobs on top of that.
Lin Wangye had always wanted more time together, though he never said it. For years, he had waited for the day they would attend the same university, imagining the countless moments they could spend side by side. After the entrance exam results, he often stayed up late, planning endlessly, drawing out every tiny detail of a beautiful future in his mind.
Shi Yuan had seen all those hopes and wishes every day.
For him, the decision to stay in the country had never wavered since Lin Wangye got into trouble.
He never expected that the first person to hesitate would be Lin Wangye.
The other’s eyes were full of reluctance, yet they also carried a firmness that was hard to understand.
Shi Yuan couldn’t help but furrow his brow: “Do you know how far Sigwell is?”
Of course, Lin Wangye knew.
From Sigwell to the capital airport, it was over ten thousand kilometers—about twenty hours nonstop.
Even in his past life, he knew it was an incredibly distant place.
Yet he sighed and said, “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you should go.”
Hearing that, Shi Yuan almost instinctively shook his head.
“But I want to—”
“I’m glad I saw it.” Lin Wangye interrupted again, staring at him without blinking: “If I only found out one day in the future that you made such a sacrifice for me, do you know how much it would hurt?”
Shi Yuan’s lips moved, but suddenly, no words came out.
Lin Wangye closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, a flash of anger colored his gaze: “I can’t hate you. I’d hate myself to death if I tried.”
The folder in his hand suddenly felt like glowing embers, its heat burning through them both.
Looking back, wasn’t this offer always the dream at the end of Shi Yuan’s road?
But today, it felt more like a sentence before an execution.
Lin Wangye’s importance outweighed everything. Staying behind was Shi Yuan’s carefully considered decision.
But now, it was clear things were slipping out of control.
He thought for a long time, searching for reasons to persuade himself: “If I go, it’ll be years before I can come back. We won’t even be able to see each other occasionally like before. And what about Grandpa, Grandma, and Suihe? Suihe still needs treatment. Studying abroad—even if I get a scholarship—still costs money.”
Lin Wangye’s eyes shifted slightly as he thought, tears threatening to fall, yet his mind was sharp and clear.
“I can take care of them, and I can support you through school.”
Shi Yuan’s pupils constricted, his eyes wide with shock.
“Lin Wangye… do you even know what you’re saying?”
“I can do it.” Lin Wangye looked up quickly, tears suddenly falling, his tone calm and resolute: “I can make it happen.”
He had seen everything—how the hotel in the plan had been built and was running successfully.
He couldn’t deny it. Lin Wangye really could do it.
Shi Yuan frowned and reached up to wipe the tears from his face, his voice softening.
“Baby, this isn’t something you should have to bear.”
“I want to bear it.”
Lin Wangye stared straight at him, eyes unwavering.
“I’m not a cage to hold you back. I’m the one who loves you. The higher you fly, the better. I’m not a bird nesting in your care—I’m the wind beneath your wings.”
*
There will be a long-distance period, but don’t worry—it won’t last too long.
Don’t panic. Long-distance has its own kind of charm.
Author’s Note:
Shi Yuan submitted his application before they got together. Back then, he was all about his career and wanted to get strong fast. After they fell in love, his feelings deepened, and after the accident, his heart completely leaned toward Lin Wangye, unable to feel at ease otherwise. That’s why he decided to stay behind for Lin Wangye.
Yes, it’s a ‘love-brain’ decision—please don’t blame him. And Lin Wangye is worth it.
In real life, don’t give up a better future just for love.
At worst case, Shi Yuan could still end up as Lin Wangye’s personal ‘golden canary.’ We can’t, orz.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
