In the late summer of Wutong Alley in Jiangcheng, seventeen-year-old art student Su Wan reunites at the start of her second year of high school with Lu Yu, a boy she'd met once when they were younger. Steam rises from the sweet soup shop in the alley, and the evening breeze off the river stirs the fallen plane-tree leaves. The quiet, steady boy sees through the embarrassment she keeps hidden in her heart.
Su Wan is trapped by her mother's invisible psychological shackles. Her dream of becoming an artist is repeatedly questioned, and she's used to bottling everything up and suffering in silence. Lu Yu grew up in a warm, loving home, surrounded by a gentle and accepting family. He isn't good with words, but quietly stays by her side as she makes her way through the confusion of adolescence. There are no earth-shattering melodramatic conflicts, only steady companionship and restrained affection.
From the morning light in their second-year classroom, to the choices surrounding the college entrance exam, studying in different cities, and finally entering the workplace, the two face the constraints of their families together and shoulder the heavy pressures of choosing schools and careers. Little by little, they learn to accept themselves. Love isn't about one person saving the other. It's two ordinary people lifting each other up and growing into more complete versions of themselves. The flutter of late summer hearts echoes for seven years, and the boy's youthful devotion lasts through all the years to come.
Expect!!!