After being betrayed by the boyfriend he'd loved for ten years, An Ran's life went completely off the rails.
The night they broke up, his direct subordinate confessed to him.
And that man was someone he'd personally hired.
Ten years younger than him.
Highly educated, handsome, and exceptionally capable.
By the end of his first year on the job, he was already so outstanding that all his coworkers were wary of him.
Some people couldn't understand why An Ran dared to hire someone like that.
Wasn't he afraid he'd be raising a tiger to bite him?
An Ran only smiled.
"If the younger generation knocks me off the beach, all it proves is that I'm not good enough."
He'd never minded being a stepping stone for those who came after him.
But he never expected
To become the one his junior had cherished in his heart for ten years.
"I've liked you for a long time."
"...How long?"
"Ten years."
An Ran laughed in disbelief.
Ten years ago?
Ten years ago, you were just a kid.
*
From his very first day at the company, Lu Baixiu had ulterior motives.
It took him ten years, but at last he made his way back to An Ran's side.
He wasn't surprised when An Ran turned him down.
Patience was one thing he never lacked.
He'd waited ten years. What was a little longer?
Little by little, he worked his way into An Ran's life.
Like spring rain.
Gentle, quiet, nourishing everything without a sound.
Until Lu Baixiu's clothes filled An Ran's closet, traces of him were all over the house, and even An Ran's every breath carried his scent.
Until An Ran finally realized
He was never a docile, harmless puppy.
He was a net, carefully laid over years.
By the time An Ran came to his senses, he'd already fallen deep into it, willingly.
An Ran: "What is it you like about me, anyway?"
Lu Baixiu: "Your face."
An Ran sneered. "Shallow."
"I like how you act tough but have a soft heart, too."
"..."
"And how you say one thing but mean another."
An Ran was furious. "Are you asking me to curse you out?"
"But now..." Lu Baixiu paused, then suddenly chuckled. "I like everything about you. Even when you yell at me, I think you're adorable."
An Ran: "Get lost."
Lu Baixiu: "See? Adorable."
Theme: Strive forward without forgetting your original aspirations
