Insurmountable

The gentle mute owner of a coffee shop
VS
The sunny young violinist

28 VS 22

Ji Zhenshi harbors a secret. For six years, she has been secretly in love with Li Yunli—who is, nominally, her sister-in-law.

It began the first time Ji Zhenshi laid eyes on her at the age of sixteen. Though Li Yunli could not speak, her eyes seemed to hold all the tenderness in the world. That gaze quietly planted a seed in Ji Zhenshi’s heart.

In their days of youthful confusion, the two gradually drew closer. Their passionate hearts sought warmth from one another.

A coffee shop sits at the street corner, run by a strikingly beautiful and gentle mute woman. Because of her disability, she has few friends.

But that does nothing to deter the blonde girl who drops by so often. She always takes her seat by the window—the perfect spot to watch the woman bustling behind the counter—and stays for an entire afternoon. When it is time to leave, she places a gardenia flower on the counter for her.