Ten Years After the Foolish One Ran Away Pregnant

At the age of 28, Qiao Yu moved back to his hometown so his child could go to school there.

To reconnect with people, he attended an alumni reunion.

But the adult world had become nothing but cold, transactional exchanges.

He was getting by, neither a success nor a failure, and nobody paid him any attention.

“Isn’t that President Shang? What’s he doing here?”

Someone whispered in surprise.

No one had expected Shang Min to show up.

He had been a star since his student days, and had lived up to everyone’s expectations: studying abroad, starting a business, rising steadily through the ranks, and becoming a man of great influence.

After the banquet, Qiao Yu stood by the road waiting for a taxi.

A glossy black Maybach pulled up beside him. Neon lights swept across the window as it lowered.

A man rested the hand holding a cigarette on the window frame. Its ember flickered as he asked, “...Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.”

.

Qiao Yu had made a mistake in his youth that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Back in high school, he often visited the Shang family’s home.

He was best friends with Shang Bo, the Shang family’s younger son, and followed him around everywhere.

He had a crush on Shang Bo, who was cheerful and funny.

They spent three years in an ambiguous relationship.

In the summer after graduation, a few classmates made plans to go on a trip.

At an inn on the Tibetan Plateau, Qiao Yu was a little light-headed from the altitude. After having a bit to drink, he gathered his courage and sneaked into Shang Bo’s bed early.

The lights were off.

In the pitch-black room, he kept telling the person beside him, “I like you.”

It took two times of being brought to tears for Qiao Yu to realize he’d gotten into the wrong bed.

The man on top of him wasn’t the second young master, Shang Bo, but the eldest, Shang Min.

The arrogant, sharp-tongued Shang Min who had once privately told his younger brother, “Don’t get too close to Qiao Yu. He’s a boy.”

Later, Qiao Yu secretly gave birth to the child conceived that night.

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[Reader’s Guide]

1. Both are each other’s first and only, one-on-one romance, happy ending. A shamelessly down-to-earth love story. Neither had any romantic entanglements during their ten years apart.

2. Occasionally told from the kid’s perspective, as he watches his parents’ romance unfold. The child is a gifted prodigy who skipped grades.

3. Short story. Free while serialized, then added to the monthly subscription library when complete. Read it while you can.

Theme: May all lovers find their happily ever after.