Marriage first, love later | The chase after she leaves | A mix of heartbreak and sweetness
Lin Nian has been in love with Gu Yuan for five years, from university through her career, always following the cool, distant man with her eyes. Then a contract is placed before her: the Gu family needs a respectable marriage, while the Lin family urgently needs money. They each get what they need, and the contract lasts one year. She signs, believing that living together day and night will eventually make him look her way. She remembers that he likes his coffee at 68 degrees, his shirts ironed three times, and that he needs someone to stay up all night with him when his stomach hurts. But he doesn’t remember that she’s allergic to pollen. Then Gu Yuan’s first love returns from overseas, and for the first time, Lin Nian sees something close to humble devotion in his eyes. It just isn’t meant for her. At last, she understands that he isn’t naturally cold; he’s only cold toward her. She is the one who hands him the divorce papers. “Gu Yuan, I give up.” He signs quickly without even reading the terms. On the day she moves out, she leaves a note in the entryway: “Mr. Gu, remember to eat on time. Take care.” Later, he searches for her like a madman, stands in the rain all night, kneels all night, and says with red eyes, “Lin Nian, weren’t you in love with me? Can’t you keep loving me?” She smiles softly from behind the door. “Loving you is in the past. Now I’ve fallen for someone new: myself.”
