Northbound With the Tide

The only son from Chaoshan and the eldest son from Shandong

“Older man · Regional differences · Rekindled romance · Sweet, angsty, then sweet again”

He was once the little tyrant of Chaoshan, the only son doted on by his three older sisters. Arrogant, spoiled, and conceited, he had always been the one to toy with others. It never occurred to him that someone might get him under their thumb.

Lin Zhi was different. The eldest son from Shandong, he had followed the rules all his life. His parents both worked in government, and he was always in a crisp suit, controlled down to the last detail.

Xu Tang took an instant dislike to his self-righteous air.

So he started acting up: dragging him out for seafood barbecue in the middle of the night, deliberately getting him drunk, calling late at night to coo at him, and even stumbling into his room during a typhoon to kiss him while drunk.

He thought it was all just a game: tease this stuffy northern man, watch him shed his fake veneer of politeness, then turn around and leave.

But he miscalculated.

When he smiled and said, “I like you. Be my boyfriend,” Lin Zhi’s eyes reddened. When Xu Tang grew bored and wanted to leave, Lin Zhi refused to give an inch, backing him into a corner and asking quietly, “You want to run now? Too late.”

A headstrong young man carried north on the southern breeze collided with a steady, restrained man from the north.

A game Xu Tang thought he was playing with his prey became a net the hunter had woven with his own hands.

Xu Tang finally understood:

He hadn’t just found his way into Lin Zhi’s heart. He had put his whole self on the line, and now there was no escape.

“Lin Zhi, don’t take this too seriously.”

“Too late, Xu Tang. I’m very serious.”