A Glimmer of Light on the Boat

At 28, Lin Jianwei is the youngest division chief in her field. Armed with a degree from a top university and exceptional expertise, she has made a name for herself in macroeconomic research. Rational and independent, she hates having her life tied to power and longs to earn respect through her ideas and hard work alone. But a marriage agreement from her family forcibly entwines her fate with that of Shen Yizhou, a man at the very pinnacle of power, at just 35.

Shen Yizhou is the brightest star in politics: decisive, imposing, and someone countless people both admire and hope to curry favor with. No one knows that this formidable man in power has long reserved the softest corner of his heart for Lin Jianwei. Years ago, at a university lecture, the clear, incisive ideas of the young woman onstage and the undimmed light in her eyes captivated him. In the years that followed, he quietly followed her progress through public reports and academic papers, and his secret love only grew deeper with time. To him, the proposed family alliance was a heaven-sent chance to turn his unrequited love into reality.

For Lin Jianwei, however, it is a cold contract based on an exchange of interests. Feeling duty-bound to her family and determined to safeguard her parents' political careers, she moves into Shen Yizhou's home, carrying the quiet grief of knowing she is about to lose control of her own life. At first, their interactions are polite but distant. She sees him as both a “superior” and a “roommate” she must handle carefully, and throws herself into her work to prove she is no clinging vine looking to advance herself through him. He approaches with care, respects her boundaries, and speaks of his deep feelings through his actions rather than words, giving her a sky in which she can soar freely.