Days turned into weeks, and Tianyu found himself constantly thinking about Li Xiang. He continued to visit the rooftop, but she never showed up. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed by her absence.

One day, as he lay on the rooftop, basking in the peace and quiet, the door opened again. This time, it wasn't a girl in a wolf costume but a girl wearing ancient-looking, bright yellow clothing, complete with a replica sword at her waist.

She spotted Tianyu and greeted him with an infectious smile. "Yo, huh, how have you been?" Her friendliness was both surprising and unwarranted.

Tianyu, still puzzled, could only muster a "Huh?"

"Wow," she teased, "You really like that word. Do you know any others?" She laughed.

Slightly embarrassed, Tianyu coughed and replied, "Yeah."

"Not much of a talker, are you? That's fine. I love to talk!" she said cheerfully.

"No, not really," Tianyu admitted. He had always been a man of few words.

Li Xiang continued to talk animatedly about various topics, but Tianyu found himself drifting away and not paying much attention.

"What are you wearing?" he suddenly interrupted.

Li Xiang looked down and giggled. "What, you don't like it? I'm a warrior!" She drew her replica sword and playfully swung it through the air, giggling.

Tianyu, still confused, managed a smile at her antics. "Ha! Made you smile!" she celebrated, pumping her fists in the air.

Li Xiang checked the time. "That's all we have time for today, folks!" she joked. "See you next week, huh!" With that, she turned and left.

Tianyu finally mustered the courage to speak his name. "Tianyu. Qin Tianyu, my name."

Li Xiang turned and smiled brightly, winking at him before disappearing.

Tianyu sighed in relief. Li Xiang was like a whirlwind, unexpected but somewhat exciting.

Another week passed, and Tianyu couldn't help but think about Li Xiang. He found himself looking forward to seeing her.

The night of their next encounter arrived. Li Xiang burst through the door to the rooftop with excitement. "TIANYU!" she shouted while waving.

Tianyu noticed she was wearing yet another new outfit, this time in red but still with an ancient look and a sword at her side.

Smiling, he nodded in response to her greeting.

Li Xiang began talking animatedly once more about her week, her school, and various other topics. Tianyu, though, was still a man of few words.

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Then he interrupted, "The clothes? Red this time?"

Li Xiang laughed. "Oh, is that all you care about? What a girl is wearing?"

"When what you wear is either a wolf costume or some weird ancient-looking stuff, it's kind of distracting," he explained.

"True!" she agreed with a chuckle. "I'm red because the Yellow Turbans got defeated, and now I fight for Wu!" she said.

Tianyu, completely baffled, asked, "Yellow Turbans? Wu? What the hell are you talking about?"

Li Xiang's eyes lit up. "You don't know The Romance of the Three Kingdoms?!" she exclaimed, a mix of shock and excitement.

"No? Should I?" he responded.

"Oh. My. God! I can't believe you don't know it. Wait here!" she practically jumped for joy, running off.

Tianyu sat there, dazed and unsure of what to do. A few minutes later, Li Xiang returned with a book in hand.

"Read this! It's the most amazing story ever," she exclaimed.

Tianyu took the book and looked at it.

"Darn, I gotta go! Keep the book; I have another!" She shouted as she left, leaving like a whirlwind once more.

Tianyu cracked open the book and began reading.

Time passed, and another week arrived. Tianyu was back on the rooftop, engrossed in the book Li Xiang had given him.

She burst through the door again. "Did you read it? Did you read it?" she asked, excitement radiating from her.

Tianyu, with the book in hand, looked over at her and replied, "I haven't finished reading it yet, as you can see."

"What do you think?!" she was as excited as a child on Christmas.

"It's pretty cool," he answered, his responses as brief as ever.

"Who is your favorite?!" she inquired, her enthusiasm uncontainable.

"Hmm," Tianyu pondered. "I have two favorites so far."

Almost giddy with excitement, Li Xiang pressed on. "Who are they?!"

"I like Guan Yu and Lu Bu," he revealed.

"Guan Yu is soooo cool," she gushed. "But why do you like Lu Bu? He's a terrible person."

Tianyu shrugged. "I just feel there's more to him than I've read so far."

Months pass by with this weekly get together, Li Xiang's outfit keeps changing too. Tianyu finally found out that the reason that Li Xiang always wore strange outfits is because the building that he claimed the rooftop for was actually a drama studio, and every week they would get together and rehearse.

Their conversation continued, and it was clear that Li Xiang was deeply passionate about this subject. Tianyu found himself enjoying the discussion more than he had expected.

As months passed, their weekly meetings became more interactive. Tianyu started stealing glances at her while she spoke, their smiles and laughter increased, and they began to share playful touches—a brush of the arm, a gentle nudge with a foot.

A few more months later and just as Li Xiang ran out of time, and had to run off, she ran up to Tianyu and kissed him. Without saying anything, she blushed, and ran out the door. Tianyu sat there frozen for a long time.

A few more months rolled by, and things began to take a deeper turn. One night, there was something different in the air. The kisses they exchanged carried intent. Clothes were soon discarded, and their instincts took over. The rooftop that had once been their sanctuary now witnessed a different kind of passion.

This pattern continued, and the rooftop became even more special to Tianyu. It was a place where he found solace, happiness, and love with Li Xiang.

As time passed, a year went by since he had first discovered that peaceful rooftop—a year in which his life had improved significantly.

The following weekend was a sunny one, and Tianyu had no school. He was at the market, picking up some meat for dinner. It was bustling with people, and he felt overwhelmed by the chaos. Seeking some respite, he ducked into a nearby alleyway.

As he walked through the alley, he noticed a parked car to the side, partially hidden from view. Inside the car were two people, attempting to create a makeshift bed using one of the car seats.

Tianyu felt awkward in this situation. He didn't want to be here, but he had to walk through the alley. Trying to act as if he couldn't see anything, he continued on his path. However, he couldn't help but notice what was happening.

Regrettably, one of the people in the car spotted Tianyu, sending chills down his spine. The person looking back at him was Li Xiang.

Tianyu dropped the bag of meat he was carrying, turned around with a vacant expression, and walked away.

Li Xiang saw Tianyu and panicked. She hastily tried to get herself together and leave the car, calling out to him in a panic.

Though he saw and heard her, Tianyu ignored her and kept walking.

Li Xiang, desperate to explain and apologize, chased after him. She ran out of the alley but couldn't find Tianyu anywhere. She had been caught in the worst way possible.

She had an idea of where she might find Tianyu. She headed to the drama studio and made her way to the rooftop they had shared for so long. It was their special place.

Bursting through the door, she called out for Tianyu in distress.

There was no response.

She looked around the rooftop but found herself alone. She went to the spot where Tianyu usually lay down to find peace. There, she discovered the copy of 'The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms' she had gifted him a year ago.

She sat there, tears streaming down her face. She had messed up, and now she needed to explain and apologize to Tianyu.

She waited on the rooftop, day after day, but Tianyu never showed up. She had taken his paradise away from him.

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As Tianyu looked out of the window at the peaceful sky in his new world, a tear rolled down his cheek. His memories were painful, and he couldn't help but wonder what might have been.

"Scree," Xiao Lei sensed his master's emotions and landed on the windowsill.

"Memories can be a painful thing..." Tianyu muttered as he stroked the eagle's head.