Summer's Farewell

[Chapters 5–24 are high school flashbacks, and that part is complete. Chapter 25 onward follows them in the city after their reunion. Come watch Xiao Jiang win his wife back!~]

*

Six years after they last saw each other, Lin Wanxia and Jiang Yannian reunited at a major entertainment-industry gala.

At the time, she was filling in for a day as her celebrity friend's assistant, while he was a highly anticipated special guest.

In the dim light, she carelessly ran straight into his arms. The moment their eyes met...

She sneezed.

Then she fled in a panic.

The video leaked the next day, and netizens joked that it deserved a place among the entertainment industry's most awkward moments of the year. Everyone had a good laugh and moved on.

That is, until sharp-eyed netizens noticed that Taozi Qishui, a newly popular artist in the comics scene, looked remarkably like the young assistant who had crashed into Jiang Yannian, the president of LN Group.

The long-forgotten video resurfaced.

One commenter claiming to be an alumnus of Sucheng No. 1 High School said that the two had known each other in high school and had once been a popular couple on campus. Unfortunately, the boy transferred away, and their story ended without a conclusion.

The gossip-hungry crowd sprang into action, digging up all sorts of old photos of the two from the school's online forum.

In an instant, the video shot to the top of the trending list under the headline, "A Reunion After Years Apart: When a Top-Tier Star Meets a Wealthy CEO."

Lin Wanxia, the woman Jiang Yannian had pulled firmly into his arms: ...Thanks for asking.

*

Not long after the video went viral, a fan at a signing event asked Lin Wanxia what the most dramatic thing she'd experienced recently was.

Seeing the fans barely able to contain their curiosity, she smiled. "Probably... running into the arms of my long-lost crush at a gala."

The fans erupted. "And then what happened?"

Lin Wanxia held out her left hand and proudly pointed to the sparkling ring on her middle finger. "And then... he proposed to me!"

The fans: ...We are swooning.

[Bonus Scene]

After the signing, Jiang Yannian came to take Lin Wanxia home and received a complete set of comics she'd prepared for him in advance.

At her gesture, he opened the front cover of the first book and saw the personalized inscription she'd designed with care:

To Jiang Yannian:

Liking Taozi Qishui is a habit. Loving you is instinct.

Taozi Qishui (Lin Wanxia, who will always love you)

Sweet, radiant, popular comic artist X aloof, distant financial tycoon

Sweet and sunny girl who can be both spicy and sweet X insecure, broken puppy

168 cm vs. 190 cm height difference / mutual healing / only a secret crush in high school, no dating too young / a sweet treat, safe to enjoy

Weibo: @Shi Lingzhang Ya

Coming soon: Hong Kong Island in the Drizzling Rain. Please add it to your collection!~

A sweet Hong Kong-style romance | gentle on the outside, clever within Jiangnan beauty X elegant, cool Hong Kong heir

Four-year age gap | 165 cm X 190 cm height and size difference

She is a delicate, lively wisp of mist in the gentle Jiangnan rain. He is the cold, aristocratic heir to a wealthy family, amid the neon lights of Hong Kong Island.

One from north, one from south. One gentle, one cold.

If not for her mother's serious illness bringing to light the old love her mother and his father had hidden for half their lives, Gu Yan would never have imagined that she'd end up living under the same roof as someone as different from her as Xie Zhaoheng.

The first time they met, a torrential rain poured down over the entrance to the villa halfway up the hill.

The man climbed the steps beneath a black umbrella and cast her a casual glance.

"Nei wan bin go? (Who are you looking for?)"

She couldn't understand Cantonese, but guessed who he was and greeted him softly. "Hello, big brother."

The corner of his mouth lifted faintly. He switched to Mandarin. "My father's illegitimate daughter?"

She hurriedly waved her hands. Her foxlike eyes held a glimmer of light. Though clearly terrified, she still tried to look gentle and obedient.

From then on, rain from Jiangnan fell into the mist on his hillside.

*

At first, she was dependent on his charity, grateful and careful to please him.

He accepted it all, protecting and indulging her, and standing up for her.

Everyone in Hong Kong knew he was cold. Only she knew how softhearted he was.

Gradually, she stopped being afraid of him. She began to act spoiled and indulge in little tantrums around him.

And so everyone in Hong Kong came to know that the powerful Xie family had a new Miss Gu, and that the heir, Xie Zhaoheng, had gained a younger sister.

Whether she was his "real little sister" or his "lover little sister," no one dared ask.

A few months later, a photo in Ming Pao Weekly set all of Hong Kong abuzz.

Beneath the hazy lights of Victoria Harbour at night, she gazed up at him, tipsy and bleary-eyed. Her fingers had crumpled the crisp collar of his perfectly pressed shirt, and her red lips rested against his prominent Adam's apple.

Her white teeth gently nipped at it, like a sly little fox innocently testing her natural enemy's weak spot.

The man, usually so cold and distant, merely raised a hand to hover behind her waist, letting her do as she pleased. His lowered lashes concealed the churning darkness in his eyes.

No one knew what happened later that night, inside the only Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus in Hong Kong.

He held her against him, his thin lips pressing against hers as he kissed her relentlessly, his grip so forceful she couldn't break free.

His shadow completely enveloped her petite frame. His kisses left her almost unable to breathe. "Big brother..."

He gently bit her earlobe. "...Still calling me big brother?"

Her misty fox eyes filled with embarrassed indignation. "...Xie Zhaoheng!"

The eldest young master Xie, rarely addressed by his full name, gave a soft laugh, his voice low and hoarse.

"Baobei, nei hai ngo ge. (Baby, you're mine.)"

Xie Zhaoheng had been born with an overwhelming need for control.

Everyone else worried Gu Yan would get hurt, but she loved that side of him.

Hong Kong Island had plenty of wind and rain. He was the shelter on her hillside.

Delicate and lively X ruthless and ruthless

Scheming little fox X possessive big bad wolf

[Reading Guide]

1. Both leads are each other's first and only. A sweet romance with no angst, melodramatic misunderstandings, or accidental separations.

2. The male lead is quite controlling, but never a yandere, and he respects the female lead's wishes. The female lead lacks a sense of security, and happens to love this kind of absolutely forceful devotion. It's just the couple's particular tastes. ^_^)

3. The female lead isn't a traditional strong female lead, but she has her own growth and career arcs, connected to traditional intangible cultural heritage embroidery.

4. The female lead's mother was the male lead's father's first love. They were forced apart years ago because of family opposition. The male lead's parents had an arranged marriage without love and have been divorced for years. His mother remarried.

Theme: There will always be a ray of light that comes for you.