Qi Mingyue never imagined she would run into Zhou Jiaqiao again.
The first time they had a car accident, she apologized, handled everything, and left without even looking closely at his face.
She was used to avoiding anything intense. She didn't dare get close, rely on anyone, or expect anything from anyone.
But in his twenty-seven years, Zhou Jiaqiao had never been so completely ignored.
He thought she was playing hard to get, until he saw the thin layer of distance in her eyes. She wasn't pretending. She was truly doing everything she could to avoid him.
When they met again, she pretended not to recognize him.
Watching her instinctively shrink back, he suddenly felt his heart tighten. "This girl is interesting. And I'm interested in her, too!"
He engineered chance encounters; she went out of her way to avoid him.
He asked her to dinner; she refused outright.
He blocked her path. "Qi Mingyue, are you really that afraid of me?"
She lowered her eyes, afraid to look at him. "We're not right for each other."
He smiled and edged closer. "You won't know if we're right for each other until we try."
After one gathering, he cornered her in the hallway, his breath burning hot. "What are you so afraid of? That I'll eat you?"
Her heart pounded and her face turned pale. "Let go of me."
He didn't. His voice was low and plaintive. "I've never been this patient with anyone. Qi Mingyue, can you stop pushing me away all the time?"
She bit her lip and couldn't say a word.
That night, while drunk, he called her, his voice hoarse. "I really don't understand you. You clearly have feelings for me, so why won't you admit it? Could it be... you never planned to let me into your world?"
She clutched her phone and stayed awake all night.
The next day, he showed up again with an easy smile, as if he hadn't lost control the night before. But Qi Mingyue knew the stubborn determination in his eyes hadn't lessened at all.
Looking at him, she finally had to admit it: she didn't not love him. She was just afraid.
She was afraid that even if she gave him her whole heart, she would still be abandoned in the end.
[Reading Notes]
1. An emotionally guarded, sensitive female lead x a direct and supremely confident male lead.
2. She avoids him, they push and pull, she avoids him again, and they push and pull again. He's like a spring, and he doesn't mind the back-and-forth!
3. Older man, one-year age gap, happy ending.
Theme: Love boldly, for all the beautiful things in this world.
