When Ye Jiayi, a graduate student in the history department at A University, first met her advisor, Cong Linxi, all she knew was that she was an “iceberg professor” renowned in academic circles: rigorous, demanding, and seemingly devoid of compassion. Through their many conversations, Ye Jiayi gradually saw the warmth beneath her mentor’s cold exterior. And in Ye Jiayi’s stubborn, tearful eyes, Cong Linxi saw a reflection of her younger self.
When Ye Jiayi’s wealthy family background was unexpectedly revealed, and Cong Linxi’s mother used business interests to threaten their relationship, their pure affection began to change. Beneath the ginkgo trees, they confessed their feelings with restraint. They even held a secret proposal. Caught in a vortex of social status and family interests, they guarded this love, misunderstood by the world, in the clumsiest ways they could.
“I’d rather have you hate me than see you get hurt.”
“But I want more than your guidance. I want the warmth you hide beneath all that sternness.”
