Stories With an Ordinary Female Lead 普通女主文

1. 201 救 Help! The Brooding Heartthrob Has a Weird Habit of Flirting with and Sniffing Me 救命！闷骚男神有怪癖总爱撩闻我 My Name Is Alu我叫阿绿Modern Romance350k WordsCompleted [Millennium-era campus romance × sweet and doting, no angst] [A laid-back heroine who works hard at her studies × a seemingly proper hero who secretly knows how to flirt] In the summer of 2005, Lu Zhanlan had a dream. The world she lived in was a novel, and she was a supporting character in her younger sister's story. Before Lu Zhanlan could make sense of it all, a collision on the school building's stairs sent her life veering off course. Their collision was straight out of a romance drama, but 2.5kReads8.1Score338Shelves

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   This is a campus novel set in the early 2000s. There's no rebirth, no time travel, and no cheat codes. The female lead is just an ordinary sixteen-year-old high school student. It's 2005, a time when cell phones had only recently become widespread. Everyone was a vibrant and youthful student. The male and female leads aren't madly in love, nor do they possess any extraordinary abilities. It's just an ordinary campus life, with some ambiguity but never crossing any boundaries.

2. 202 他 He Said My Secret Crush Was a Nuisance 他说我的暗恋是困扰 Tangerine Sand桔沙8k WordsCompleted He Says My Secret Crush Is a Nuisance 762Reads—Score—Shelves

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   A poor, ordinary girl harbors a deep, unrequited love for him. They were childhood sweethearts, but he repeatedly tells everyone about her embarrassing crush, claiming it's bothering him. Heartbroken, she remains silent, hiding her feelings like a coward. Her unspoken love often brings her to tears. Finally, he asks her if she has a crush on him. Unaware of his sweaty palms, she counters by asking if he has a crush on her. Her hands tremble, and she tries to remain calm behind her back. His ears turn red, his heart races, and he seems about to pull something out of his pocket, but she runs away like a coward. He transfers schools, and they believe they'll never be entangled again. In college, she hears that familiar voice being confessed to by the school beauty. He calls her his girlfriend, but then tells her she's just a shield. Enraged, she publicly insults him. Both of them are caught in a love-hate relationship. Torn between pain and bitterness, everyone said she was lucky enough to be ordinary and even rejected the school heartthrob. She ran away arrogantly, unaware that her mother's heirloom, a yellowed pearl hairpin, was missing. She cried as she looked back, only to see him holding the hairpin and giving it to her. The school beauty stomped on her and threw five yuan at her, humiliating her. She decided to take revenge, threatening him to see the school beauty with her. The school beauty later offered her money to leave him, and she agreed, then suffered amnesia. He, however, took advantage of her amnesia, claiming to be her boyfriend. His mother found her and offered her five million to leave him, and she agreed to study abroad as quickly as possible. Upon returning home, she didn't know he had become her CEO. She regained her memory, and he proposed. She only cared about the ring, not him as a free gift. He imprisoned her. During their marriage registration, she tried to escape, but he blocked her way. At the wedding, the school beauty appeared.

3. 203 风 A Land of Auspicious Feng Shui 风水宝地 Swordsman from Xizhao西赵剑客Urban350k WordsCompleted A beautiful encounter quietly unfolds on a youthful college campus. The hero and heroine meet and grow close during their university days, but a misunderstanding sadly drives their hearts farther and farther apart. After graduation, they each set out on a new journey in life, yet neither can forget the feelings buried deep within. Feng Shui Treasure Land tells a turbulent love story. As the hero continues searching along the path of growing up, he finally understands who he truly loves. He brave 11Reads—Score—Shelves
4. 204 懵 A First Love Nine Years in the Making 懵懂九年的初恋 Gu Yuewei古月薇14k WordsCompleted A Naive First Love of Nine Years 12Reads—Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   The author's friend's story is based on real emotions; I've simply written down what he recounted. A nine-year first love ended in heartbreak. They met the right person at the right time, but unfortunately, the male protagonist suffered from asthma since childhood, and in that era, there was no effective treatment. He constantly struggled on the brink of death, and to avoid burdening the female protagonist, they ultimately broke up.

5. 205 极 A Dangerous Obsession 极限纠缠 Benevolent Breeze仁爱微风Modern Romance334k WordsCompleted [Mutually devoted, one-on-one romance, older man, happy ending] The push and pull between a seasoned IPO lawyer and a newcomer in the workplace My name is Chen Yin, and his name is Wang Cheng'an. We’re nine years apart. When I met him, I was a 21-year-old college senior, while he was already 30. He wasn’t married, but he had a twelve-year-old son. My family said he was my undoing, but to me, he seemed more like my salvation. “No,” he said. “You’re my salvation.” Some people called him a pervert, 7.6kReads6.6Score913Shelves
6. 206 我 My Blind Date Is a Construction Contractor 我的相亲对象是个包工头 Benevolent Breeze仁爱微风Modern Romance316k WordsCompleted At their first matchmaking meeting, the fierce, ugly-looking He Feng scared the sweet-natured He Lin so badly that she refused to see him again. But He Feng had already taken a liking to her. What was he supposed to do? He Feng said that, aside from looking fierce and ugly, he was good at sweet-talking and tricking people. He Lin never imagined that, as someone who was a sucker for a good voice, she’d fall for it. How could someone have such a lovely voice and such a fierce, ugly face? And hadn’ 7.7kReads8.1Score674Shelves
7. 207 误 Mistakenly Climbing into a Life of Luxury 误攀浮华 Ye Xiaofu叶晓芙Modern Romance484k WordsCompleted I just got a notification from the platform that this is being adapted into a comic drama! This is not the same old story!!! You'll be captivated by the protagonists' charm, especially the male lead! [Guiding male lead | Not a domineering CEO | Realistic | Down-to-earth | Not over-the-top | Slow burn | No angst | Funny] [Sharp-dressed, devilishly handsome boss with a thousand schemes & pure, obedient girl who refuses to cling to the powerful] Original title: Mistakenly Climbing into the World of 36.6kReads9.1Score4.6kShelves

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   You definitely need to see this.

8. 208 那 That Paper-Thin Romance 那一场纸上谈兵的恋情 Gu Yuewei古月薇Modern Romance140k WordsCompleted He and I spent several years under the same roof in high school. He was a womanizer, slick-tongued, and full of schemes... A flirtation with ulterior motives, a romance that never went beyond words, and an ambiguous trap woven from more than eighty letters. 6Reads—Score—Shelves

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   My acquaintance with him began when he and three classmates rented a room at my house during his high school years, and I lived under the same roof as him. However, he was glib, womanizing, and extremely rude. He was cunning and manipulative, flirting with girls everywhere and writing love letters to different girls, which I found extremely repulsive and disgusting. Unexpectedly, he used his cunning to invite only me to accompany him to his military service, effectively positioning me as his girlfriend. Although I didn't agree to be with him, being labeled his girlfriend prevented his other friends who liked me from pursuing anything further out of loyalty to him. During this time, he maintained an ambiguous relationship with me, exchanging letters. Unexpectedly, a year later, when he went back to his hometown on leave to visit relatives, some of his friends, unable to bear seeing me being deceived by him while he was seeing several girls, warned me. In the end, our breakup wasn't a romantic one, because we never even started anything; we severed ties, not even becoming ordinary friends.

9. 209 第 The Boy Who First Made My Heart Flutter 第一次心动的男孩 Gu Yuewei古月薇40k WordsCompleted The Boy I First Fell For 19Reads—Score—Shelves

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   The author based this novel on her own life, written from her real diary. The female protagonist lived in a family that favored sons over daughters. During junior high school, she suffered from severe depression due to unwarranted beatings and even abuse from her mother. However, limited by her social status, she couldn't escape the control of her family, struggling for half her life in a quagmire of suffering. Set in the 1990s, her shyness, lack of courage, and the constraints of her family caused her to miss out on a deeply unforgettable first love. It was initially sweet, but later turned heartbreaking, a love that couldn't be reciprocated. They fell in love at the wrong time—when they were both in school—and at the right time, they couldn't express their feelings. In an era without cell phones, communication was impossible, and they eventually lost contact, leaving a lingering sense of unease.

10. 210 斯 A Refined Hunt 斯文式狩猎 Little West Lake西湖小小Modern Romance340k WordsCompleted [Loveless Designer x Polite but Perverse Executive, Sweet and Angsty, Faithful Couple, Mystery] The childhood sweetheart doesn't love her, and the male lead is just a stand-in? No! The childhood sweetheart dies right at the start, and Xue Rui deliberately draws the male lead in to investigate the truth behind his death. Everyone thinks she has no one in the world to rely on, so she should marry any decent man she meets. But only Xue Rui knows she's fallen into a trap and has no choice but to sav 9Reads—Score—Shelves

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    The female protagonist, who lost her parents in her second year of high school and stayed with her childhood friend, is a persistent and resilient girl who meets the male protagonist, who is equally determined to persevere even after hitting a wall.

11. 211 一 A Room With the Lights Dimmed 一室暗灯 Diving into the Sea to Dodge Fish跳海躲鱼Modern Romance1.1M WordsOngoing That day, I groveled before a billionaire, wagging my tail for his approval. I thought he was my salvation when I had nowhere else to turn. All I got was one humiliation after another. I became the biggest joke in his circle. Later, I accidentally stumbled upon his secret, peeling back layer after layer of his heart until grief brought me to tears. And he peeled mine open too, only to stab it viciously, once, twice... countless times. Ruan Qing, who brought me into the industry, was once an inn 483Reads8.7Score163Shelves

    Reader note

    The female lead, a typical college student with a strong inner core and a sharp tongue, is not at all frustrating to watch; it's very enjoyable to watch.

12. 212 岁 After All These Years, We Finally Meet Again 岁月流转终相见 Tung Oil Fruit桐油果Modern Romance485k WordsCompleted [Reunion After Years Apart + Rekindled Love + Healing Through Family + Realistic Happy Ending] After drifting apart like clouds, ten years passed like flowing water. When we met again, my heart recognized you before I did. A summer romance came to an abrupt end because of an unfortunate misunderstanding. More than ten years later, thirty-five-year-old Gu Yan discovered by chance that he had a daughter in high school, and was reunited with the girl he had loved when he was young. Long-buried memo 5.4kReads7.4Score196Shelves

    Reader note

    These are several good books with compelling plots. The female lead is exactly what the male lead finds attractive.

13. 213 遇 Meeting Her Made My Heart Beat Faster 遇见她心动不止 Tung Oil Fruit桐油果Modern Romance493k WordsCompleted [Love at first sight + mistaken identity + mutual secret crushes + healing + female growth] Everyone is level-headed and knows what they’re doing, so read without worry. Jiang Nan, insecure and neglected by her family, meets He Chengyang. A twist of fate sends their budding romance down the wrong path. He Chengyang mistakes Jiang Nan, the girl he fell in love with at first sight, for her older sister, Jiang Xue, and they begin a brief relationship. (Nothing inappropriate happens between them.) W 7.1kReads8.5Score352Shelves
14. 214 单 Mr. Zhou, My Unrequited Love 单恋的周先生 Tung Oil Fruit桐油果Modern Romance400k WordsCompleted [Older Woman, Younger Man + Redemption + Realistic Romance] Three-year age gap. [Secret Love Becomes Mutual, from the Male Lead’s Perspective; Marriage First, Love Later, from the Female Lead’s Perspective] Everyone is level-headed and clear-minded. The woman Zhou Wang had kept in his heart for three years. He thought there could never be anything between them and was ready to give up, but then he unexpectedly learned what she had been through. His heart ached for her, and at the same time, he f 1.4kReads8.2Score103Shelves

    Reader note

    These are all realistic romance novels, with a down-to-earth feel to them.

15. 215 爱 Love Will Come to Rest 爱会停歇 Tung Oil Fruit桐油果Modern Romance220k WordsCompleted [Playboy Turns Devoted] [Love Grows Over Time] [Sweet with a Little Angst] [Class Difference] Chen Chao, a rich playboy, falls sincerely in love with Yu Jiawen, who comes from an ordinary family. He knows he isn't the kind of person she'd ideally choose, but he can't let go of his feelings for her. "Yu Jiawen, do you know? Meeting you made me feel like I could have a proper relationship too." "I've thought about giving you up, but I just can't accept it. Watching you date, marry, and have childr 3.2kReads8.4Score150Shelves
16. 216 初 I Couldn’t Hide My Heart’s Flutter When We First Met 初见心动藏不住 Tung Oil Fruit桐油果Modern Romance136k WordsCompleted [Love at First Sight] [She Pursues Him] [Nine-Year Age Gap] [Sweet, Realistic Romance] [Happy Ending] At twenty, the lively and spirited Chen Luo Chu meets Chu Yun. One look is all it takes for her to fall for him. She can barely hide the light in her eyes, and there is only one thought on her mind: make him hers. Once she confirms he is single, she boldly confesses, "Big brother, will you be my boyfriend?" Chu Yun gently turns her down with a simple, "We're not right for each other." But Chen L 1.3kReads—Score104Shelves
17. 217 和 The Time I Spent in Love With Her 和她相恋的时光 Tung Oil Fruit桐油果Modern Romance259k WordsCompleted [Love at first sight + devoted one-on-one romance + rekindled love + healing with a touch of angst] A grounded, everyday story with smart characters. Gao Yuchen, an isolated orphan, happens to meet her next-door neighbor, Mu Yang. Mu Yang pursues her passionately, and they soon fall in love. She thinks they’ll be happy together, only to discover that their happiness was built on a lie, albeit one told with good intentions by the male lead. She coldly tells him she never wants to see him again. I 804Reads8.1Score—Shelves
18. 218 共 Sailing Together 共舟行 Little Mouse Maomao阿鼠毛毛Modern Romance300k WordsCompleted [Small-Town Fiction | Slow Burn | 1v1, Both Leads Chaste | Ensemble Growth | Working-Class Struggles | Realistic | Period Setting] “Across a thousand miles, the boat speeds on; a letter of love rides home on the wind.” A small town in southern China in the 1990s A young man holds an unremarkable bouquet of roses And lays his feelings bare beneath the night sky From scraping by with a street stall to finding a way forward together Through wind and rain, they share life's many ups and downs This i 1.7kReads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    It's so beautiful!

19. 219 司 Mr. Situ Has Been Plotting This for a Long Time 司徒总他蓄谋已久 Madam Lu吕家夫人Modern Romance245k WordsCompleted Situ Xu, the eldest son of the Situ family in the capital, falls for a girl with no family connections, no status, and a single-parent upbringing. Knowing their relationship seems impossible, he deliberately enters the game and plots for years. An Shining has always known that people say a couple should be evenly matched in family background and status. She knows their relationship is impossible, and has never dared to hope for more. But love always comes without warning, then takes hold of your 117Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Like a rose, it possesses a vigorous upward force; every ordinary girl will encounter love around her own corner.

20. 220 古 An Anthology of Ancient Tales 古篇集录 Perhaps Not Just a Pond Dweller莫非池中物Ancient Romance82k WordsCompleted [Collected Ancient Tales] This book brings together two short stories in an ancient style. Life is vast, and every meeting is a bond of fate. Dear readers, come along with me. 41Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    An ordinary female protagonist, set in ancient China.

21. 221 回 Back Before You Became the Light 回到你成为光之前 Jiujiu Doesn't Want to Work 996酒酒不想996Modern Romance300k WordsOngoing [Qi Shengnan × Shen Yanzhou → one-on-one romance, both leads are each other's first + fictional setting + mutual salvation + a touch of ensemble cast] When Qi Shengnan was six, she once met a very handsome person in the park near her home. Strangely, a red scarf was draped over his thigh. She gave him a strawberry-flavored candy and her umbrella too... When high school began, Qi Shengnan ended up in the same class as Shen Yanzhou, the top student in the city. She ran, he chased, and she wished s 34Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    This one is pretty good.

22. 222 谁 Who Says the Goddess Is Cold? She Wants to Explore Life With Me 谁说女神高冷，她要与我研究人生 The Fish with a Two-Second Memory两秒记忆的鱼Urban291k WordsCompleted Li An, a small-town test-taking ace, and his girlfriend and high school classmate, Bai Ying, promised to get into the same university. He thought they would go from school uniforms to wedding dresses together, but university hit him with a brutal dose of reality: Bai Ying went off with a rich young man. After that, he went through two more failed relationships, racked up debt, and stopped believing much in love. Li An tried his hand at writing online fiction. After paying off his debts with mind 5Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    This book is very good; the everyday life scenes are described very well.

23. 223 我 My Glory Days in Dongguan 我在东莞的高光岁月 Warm Wine, Waiting for the Wind温酒等风来Urban394k WordsOngoing My name is Chang Da Qiang. I was born in a small, underdeveloped county town in the late 1980s. My parents were farmers, and in those days, when everything was desperately poor, I graduated from a junior college and looked for work in my hometown. After hitting one dead end after another, I made a bold decision: I headed south to Guangdong to try my luck. Through hard work, I finally had the experiences that inspired this novel. 2.1kReads—Score117Shelves

    Reader note

    These two books are super good! ☜~

24. 224 那 The Happy Years I Spent in Dongguan 那些年我在东莞的幸福往事 Sparse Shadows in the Courtyard疏影庭前Urban299k WordsCompleted [Urban everyday life] + [multiple heroines] + [first person] My name is Hao Jian. I'm a college graduate who left a small inland county to make a living in Dongguan. A female classmate who'd been quite a flirt back in school introduced me to the city. I thought I'd find a factory job and earn some money, but things didn't go as planned. I ended up in a bar, and that's where my life took an unexpected turn. 5.6kReads6.0Score510Shelves
25. 225 中 Lu Xueqi, Vocational School Student 中专生陆雪琪 Bright Sunny Day灿烂晴天Marriage & Romance81k WordsCompleted Lu Xueqi, the Vocational School Student 1.8kReads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    The first book features a female protagonist who, in the mid-1990s, graduated from a teachers' college but gave up her assigned job to work in the south, while the male protagonist also gave up his job in his hometown and went south. The two of them create a future together.

26. 226 等 The Happiness We Waited For 等来的幸福 Bright Sunny Day灿烂晴天Modern Romance51k WordsCompleted In this blended family, the male and female leads grow up calling each other brother and sister. After her mother dies, the heroine goes abroad with her biological father. While overseas, she and the male lead begin a relationship. 761Reads—Score—Shelves
27. 227 桃 A Garden of Students, Growing Old Together in Love 桃李满天下恩爱共白头 Bright Sunny Day灿烂晴天Modern Romance42k WordsCompleted Wu Xiaomin was a country girl, born and raised in the countryside, but she had always been a good student and was naturally beautiful. Unfortunately, after she started high school, her surroundings changed dramatically, leaving her confused and lost. In her sophomore year, she met a new homeroom teacher who helped her find her way again. After graduating from college, Wu Xiaomin gave up a job placement back in her hometown and introduced a female college classmate to her former high school teach 1.6kReads—Score—Shelves
28. 228 奇 A Strange Haha 奇怪的哈哈 Little Zuo Is at a Loss没招的小左Two Female Leads275k WordsOngoing In Wuyun Country, there’s this strange girl who’s always running into bizarre things in her everyday life. Yet in every one of these strange encounters, she somehow meets someone who loves her beyond measure. Isn’t that strange? 136Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    It's quite pretty.

29. 229 没 A Motherless Child, Cared for by His Sister-in-Law 没妈的孩子，嫂子疼 Ai Shihua爱施华Urban320k WordsCompleted [Period drama + No System or storage space] After my adoptive parents died in a car accident, my older brother Zhang Dakui and I depended on each other. Ever since Dakui brought my sister-in-law Liu Chunmei home, our lives changed. And so did my life... 107Reads6.2Score112Shelves
30. 230 冷 The Cold-Faced Officer's White Moonlight 冷面军官的白月光 Bai Zhe白柘Modern Romance98k WordsOngoing That night, they sat on the steps outside the photography studio, eating wontons. The July heat in Shanghai was stifling as a steamer, and cicadas poured their cries from the plane trees’ canopies, spreading them across the ground. Shen Zhi prodded a wonton with her chopsticks, then suddenly asked, “How did you get by during those two years in Yemen?” 3Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    The female protagonist is ordinary; this is a love story set in the 1980s. The entire story is realistic, with an artistic flair, and it's a slow-burn romance, perfect for a cup of tea and a leisurely afternoon. Don't rush the plot; read it at your own pace.

31. 231 我 Do I Still Love Her? 我，还爱她？ Jian Xi Erer简兮尔尔Modern Romance242k WordsOngoing Urban Romance | Reunion | Unrequited Love | The Aesthetics of a Bad Ending | A Regretful Ending | Realistic Heartbreak I’ve been writing this for ages, but hardly anyone reads it. I’m so sad, sob sob. —Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    "After failing the civil service exam twice, I'm actually dating the CEO's son?!" "Your high school classmate, Yu Qiu, is just an ordinary undergraduate from a non-prestigious university." "In terms of education and future prospects, how are you a match for him?" "You're a 25-year-old PhD graduate from overseas, young and promising, good-looking, what kind of girlfriend can't you find?" Yu Qiu: A non-prestigious university graduate who failed the civil service exam twice and works under Yin Zhihao's father. Jian Yi: Yu Qiu's high school classmate, undergraduate from Fudan University's medical school, PhD from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, still has feelings for Yu Qiu. Yin Zhihao: A Fudan University graduate, a selected civil servant, who has developed feelings for Yu Qiu over time. His father is the president of a company in Yancheng, and his mother is the vice president of Yancheng's First Hospital.

32. 232 被 A Heartthrob Takes Over His Body, and the Timid Doormat Takes the Whole School by Storm 被男神魂穿，软糯受气包飒翻全校 One Bored Rich Lady无聊富婆一枚Modern Romance231k WordsOngoing The refined, scheming crown prince VS the soft, timid little bunny with an inferiority complex Healing | Unrequited Love Comes True | Soul Transmigration | Reborn and Pursuing His Wife Xie Yanci opens his eyes and finds that he has transmigrated into someone else’s body! He has ended up in the body of Song Qiwan, a girl who lets everyone walk all over her. The girl clutches a diary filled with his name as her bullies pin her down in the restroom and pour dirty water over her head. The school’s 4Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    The female lead is very ordinary. She grew up without love, was bullied, suffered from depression, had a crush on the male lead, was framed by the second female lead, and died. The male lead is reborn and redeems the female lead, but the female lead has a very low self-esteem, so her path to redemption is truly bittersweet.

33. 233 腐 A Sour Story for Fujoshi 腐女酸文 Girl from the Old Days旧时丫头Modern Romance359k WordsCompleted Hello, everyone. I’m the author of this book, and also its protagonist: Yatou. This book tells the true story of my life. Every word comes from my own experience; nothing is fabricated or plagiarized. Over the years, I’ve weathered countless ups and downs and struggled through one storm after another. To make it this far feels like a hard-won miracle. Many people wonder about the meaning of the title, The Bitter Ramblings of a Fudanshi. It’s really a reflection of the first half of my life: “ 3Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Highly recommend! [Thumbs up][Thumbs up]

34. 234 深 The Little Palace Kitchen 深宫小食堂 Collecting Tenderness收藏温柔Ancient Romance262k WordsCompleted After transmigrating as the empress, Lin Wanyi binds herself to a “Life Assistant System.” The abilities she draws each day are all kinds of strange, and so she begins a happy life in the imperial palace, never fighting for anything and just wanting to lie flat. 2Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    [Already added to my wishlist][A masterpiece by Sparrow Eater][Added to my bookshelf]

35. 235 夏 The Summer Rain Is Hard to Explain 夏天的雨说不清 Summer Roses Are Stunning夏季的玫瑰美艳动人Modern Romance238k WordsOngoing They were apart for nine years, ever since they were sixteen or seventeen. They waited for more than twenty years... Beneath umbrellas, they passed each other by several times, until they recognized one another in a rain shower steeped in the fragrance of gardenias. That day, he stood in the rain looking at her, and she gazed back at him. Both of them thought they were dreaming. Much later, when they brought it up again, she suddenly said to him with great seriousness: “Hello, Mr. Baiba 12Reads—Score106Shelves

    Reader note

    I don't know if this counts as [facepalm] the fisherman's daughter

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