(A female-led coming-of-age story; the romance takes center stage later)
When she was sixteen, her biological father treated her like merchandise to be sold to the highest bidder. Her stepmother was cruel, her classmates framed her, and a video of uncertain authenticity nailed her to a pillar of shame. She threw herself into the Qingchuan River, only to be rescued by a young heir from the capital who happened to be passing by.
For ten years abroad, she forged herself a suit of armor: accelerated studies, a full scholarship, law school, and finally, a career as a lawyer.
He drifted through life, with more girlfriends than he could remember. Then, in the heavy snowfall of Toronto, he collided head-on with a young woman. The momentary daze he felt was the beginning of the collapse of every one of his "standards."
"No one's family background is a free pass to hurt others with impunity. No amount of respectability can erase the harm caused by bullying."
Only then did he realize that the ray of moonlight he had casually rescued in his youth had grown into the one and only in his heart.
(The story is entirely fictional. All events, names, and cases are purely coincidental and do not allude to real people or events. Legal provisions are included for reference only. If anything seems familiar, may it have been nothing more than a dream.)
