In this life, Xie Yunyi feared two things most: the never-ending bright lights of Chang'an Street, and Zhao Jingning's unfathomably deep eyes.
Ten years ago, he was the arrogant young master of the Zhao family, and she was the proud, noble jewel of the Xie family. After a sudden turn of events, he pushed her away with his own hands, leaving her in the rain at the Xie family ancestral home for an entire night. From then on, a rumor circulated among Beijing's elite: Fourth Young Master Zhao had abandoned the Xie family's daughter for the sake of his career.
Ten years later, she was the sharpest French interpreter at the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, and he was the acting mayor of Beijing, with a smooth political career ahead of him.
They met again at an international summit. He was weather-beaten, with ten years of guilt held in his eyes. "Interpreter Xie, the fallen leaves on Chang'an Street need sweeping."
She smiled coolly. "Mayor Zhao, that's your road. Sweep it yourself."
To atone, Zhao Jingning was willing to lower himself and keep watch all night at the entrance to the Xie family's alley, just to tie her shoelace once.
To protect her, he was willing to break with his family. Even when the discipline inspection commission took him away, he refused to give up her name.
But Xie Yunyi was no longer the girl who could do nothing but cry.
When Zhao Lide's frame-up, the media's onslaught, and pressure from the family came one after another, she stood at the heart of the storm, armed with resolve, and shielded him from half a lifetime of hardship.
"Zhao Jingning, do you think you're chasing me?"
"No. You're letting Xie Chongwen use you as a weapon."
This is a redemption that came ten years too late, and a return to what it means to have a home.
It turns out the strongest armor in the world isn't power, but the person willing to take off their armor for you.
A clear-headed, restrained male lead who is a mayor x a resilient female lead who is an interpreter and fights back.
Rekindled romance, one-on-one, both leads are each other's first and only, happy ending.
Family and political scheming, but the romance is the focus, with a bittersweet blend of sweetness and heartache and an overall healing tone.
Theme: Explore the loneliness and redemption that come with being at the peak of power, and show how those considered "strong" by society can take off their cold armor for true love and return to the tenderness of their hearts and the warmth of home.
