Cold-Blooded Boss, No Night Off Tonight

(Two officials, a chase-her-after-losing-her romance, mutual exclusivity, healing, age gap, a lover who guides her) At twenty-three, Chen Fei comes from an ordinary family. After passing the civil service exam in a neighboring county, she catches the eye of Jiang Yuchen, the county's youngest and most promising bureau director. Jiang Yuchen helps her resolve problems at work and deal with troubles in her family of origin. He listens to her patiently and offers guidance, even taking charge of her wardrobe for every season. Chen Fei thinks she is the Cinderella who has been singled out for favor. Until one afternoon, when she overhears Jiang Yuchen talking to a therapist: “Do you love her?” After a long silence, Chen Fei hears Jiang Yuchen answer in an even, emotionless voice: “I'll be the perfect boyfriend, and she'll become the ideal girlfriend.” Only then does she realize that, to Jiang Yuchen, she is merely a promising “raw material” he has chosen: an innocent, gentle, obedient girl who has never seen much of the world, shaped by his own past trauma. She can't convince herself to stay in such a twisted intimate relationship, enjoying Jiang Yuchen's condescending care. She resigns and leaves, putting down roots in a small southern city thousands of miles away. Until one day, now grown independent and spread her wings, she opens her door and comes face-to-face with those familiar eyes...