Springtime Stirs the Heart

Nineteen-year-old art student Shen Yu moves into the Qingcheng Community for a part-time job. Clean-cut and handsome, he is like a new sprout appearing in spring, and without meaning to, he captures the hearts of three women. Wen Xingran, a gentle and long-suffering housewife, tries to fill the emptiness in her marriage with everyday acts of “soft seduction,” like bringing him eggs and fixing his balcony light. Meng Wanqing, a polished and confident beauty salon owner, uses “looking for a model” as an excuse to get close to him, showing off her mature allure in a VIP room filled with the scent of incense. The bold and straightforward Fang Mei, who owns a clothing store, expresses her affection openly, teasing him with a pat on the shoulder and insisting he take a can of cola.

At first, none of them realizes the others feel the same way. But after catching each other treating Shen Yu specially, they begin to watch one another warily. They compete to bring him food at the market, openly vie to feed him barbecued meat at a cookout, and even tug at him to get his attention at a banquet. Like flowers in full bloom in spring, the three mature women each flaunt their charms as they circle around Shen Yu, leaving the young man, who has only just entered the adult world, blushing and flustered before plunging him into turmoil.

But Xia Zhi, the 18-year-old girl who works at the community’s milk tea shop, simply watches quietly. She secretly makes Shen Yu milk tea with extra cheese foam, works up the courage to offer him homemade cookies, and grips her straw in a corner when he is surrounded by the married women. Her affection has none of the mature women’s seduction, only shy attempts and clumsy concern, but little by little, it becomes a ray of light in Shen Yu’s tangled feelings.

When Wen Xingran says with red-rimmed eyes, “Stay and talk with me,” Meng Wanqing leans close to his ear and promises, “I can give you what you want,” and Fang Mei bluntly asks, “Who will you choose?” Shen Yu finally understands how he feels. He turns them down