Hidden Among the Barley Awns [Coming-of-Age]

An older man and a younger woman, with a nurturing romance

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The first time Jiang Mai meets Jin Yixuan, she is filling in for Xuan Han in a sanatorium bed, facing the latter's wealthy and powerful older brother.

She is the eldest daughter in an ordinary family in a county town, working part-time at the sanatorium to pay for her younger sister's education.

He is the celebrated young master of the Jin family in Huaicheng, born into luxury and destined for success.

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The next time Jiang Mai sees Jin Yixuan is on her first day at the Jin residence, after escaping alive from a fire at the sanatorium.

She is the daughter of a homewrecker, scorned by everyone and unwelcome in the Jin family. She has lost her original name and only wants to climb higher, studying furiously so she can get into a university outside Huaicheng and leave this place behind.

At this point, she is called Xuan Han.

And he is the only person in the Jin family who sees through her false identity.

"You think a fake can throw the Jin family's weight around?"

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Later, her identity is exposed, and she is forced to leave the Jin family.

She sees Jin Yixuan again at an art exhibition hosted by the Jian family.

She is the Jian family's gifted young apprentice, dazzling and showered with admiration and affection.

He is the once decisive, reckless young master of the Jin family, now gazing at the Jian family's apprentice with a smile in his eyes and tenderness in his expression.

For the first time, the usually timid young woman shows her mettle. Her words are the hard-won result of reassuring herself again and again.

"I don't know what you mean by 'fake.' I only know that a painting I make myself, stroke by stroke, with a real brush, is an original."

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Jin Yixuan had discovered back at the sanatorium that his stepsister, who shared neither of his parents, had been switched with someone else.

He assumed it was just a child playing around, so he didn't take it seriously or expose her.

He never imagined that would be the last time he saw Xuan Han, and the first time he met Jiang Mai.

Later, he decides the fake is boring and wants to expose her.

But the girl who has always been timid lifts her head and calls out to him for the first time: "Brother, I want to study. Can you help me?"

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Later still, Jiang Mai's identity can no longer be kept secret.

On a rainy night, Jin Yixuan holds an umbrella over her as she leaves in the middle of the night and asks, "Little sister, do you still want to study?"

He says her real name without hesitation. "Jiang Mai, let me help you, all right?"

"The awns of Jiang Mai's wheat should never have to stay hidden."

"If you're not a fake, then learn to shine."

--2026.4.11

Theme: Be the protagonist of your own life