Willows by the River, Books by My Pillow

Her Affection Came Too Late

[Roguishly handsome, devoted athlete × cool, gentle top student]

Long-planned romance, secret campus crush, mutual pursuit, one-on-one and both each other’s first

Three years ago, on the outskirts of Beijing, late at night.

She held her phone, waiting for a message from A Yan.

The screen lit up, and her heart raced.

She still remembered the words on it: “I like someone I can kiss and touch. This online stuff is pointless. Don’t flatter yourself.”

She set the phone facedown on the table, and tears began to fall. She didn’t make a sound. She buried her face in the covers, her shoulders trembling. She had waited three years for him, only to get, “Don’t flatter yourself.”

*

The Palace Museum. Red walls, the setting sun.

Jiang Chennian wore a long robe from the Republican era. Standing beside a railing in the Imperial Garden, he straightened her hairpin for her. His fingertips brushed her bun, so lightly she could barely feel it. “There.” He stepped back and looked her over. “You’re pulling it off pretty well.”

An older man taking photos nearby raised his camera and called out, “You two, stand a little closer!” She wanted to say they weren’t a couple, but swallowed the words. He moved half a step closer until his shoulder touched hers. The camera clicked. She turned her head and met his gaze. He wasn’t looking at the camera. He was looking at her. His gaze was warm and gentle, like the autumn sunlight in the Imperial Garden. It wasn’t hot against her skin, but it softened her heart.

Lu Zeyan never imagined that the girl he had rejected years ago would become the one he could never forget.

[The person who cherishes you has always been right behind you.]