[Sharp-tongued, tsundere genius guitarist x aloof, versatile top college entrance exam scorer | Band growth + sweet campus romance]
Dust has been gathering for three years in Room 401 of the old arts building, and Luo Ning's "Rusty Gears" band has broken up three times.
Everyone at school knows her "three-week curse": if she spends more than twenty-one days with a guy, one of them disappears. Either she runs away, or he does. Haters on the forum accuse her of acting like a diva, while her die-hard fans defend her, saying she's just blunt. Only Luo Ning knows the truth: her meager substitute-teaching pay has to cover rent, and after staying up all night revising sheet music, her hands shake so badly she can barely hold chopsticks. How could she possibly have the energy for a long-term relationship?
Until Jin Han shows up.
This top student, who just ranked first in the city, was only brought in as a last-minute replacement. But he takes things more seriously than anyone. When she revises the score and pauses three times at a transition, he figures out the smoothest classical slide. When her strumming is as light as sweeping fallen leaves, he deliberately steals beef from her bowl to practice his strength. When she doesn't run on the twenty-first day, he hands her a sour plum candy that makes him wince and says, "Sour things wake you up."
The forum is in an uproar: her die-hard fans have uncovered that her silver gear ear cuff is the band's emblem, while the haters are lying in wait, hoping she'll skip her performance. Only the noodle shop owner grins as he feels the orange cat silicone sticker in his pocket. Lu Li gave it to him. He insists it's ugly, but every day he sticks it on the knuckle he uses to tap the bowl.
The night before the performance, moonlight spills through the green windows of the old arts building. Holding her guitar, Luo Ning announces the title of her new song: "Intruder."
Looking at the sparkle in her eyes, Jin Han suddenly understands: he isn't an intruder at all. He's been wedged into her rusty gears for ages, and there's no pulling him out now.
✨ Sneak peek at a memorable scene:
Luo Ning (kicking the music stand): "Intruder? You've got some nerve..."
