Second chance romance | Hot nerd × manipulative man
In college, Jiang Ying was egged on by her roommate to date a junior three years younger than her, in a relationship that was doomed from the start. Later, Tang Pianran went abroad. They didn't fight; things ended naturally, and they parted on good terms.
At least, that's how Jiang Ying saw it.
At 29, the age when she was expected to get married, Jiang Ying got engaged to a demolition-compensation heir from her hometown, introduced to her by her parents.
Three months before the wedding, Jiang Ying brought her fiancé to an alumni gathering.
In the crowd, she spotted her ex-boyfriend of five years, Tang Pianran.
He was still just as dazzling, surrounded by alumni.
The bright yellow lighting lent a lazy, relaxed air to the usually serious man. His handsome features and tall, slender frame made him stand out from the crowd.
Across the room, the man gave her a cool, indifferent glance. There wasn't a ripple in his eyes, as if he'd already forgotten her.
At the table, an alumnus asked Tang Pianran about his love life. The man smiled, his eyes seeming to drift toward her as he replied casually, "I haven't dated anyone these past few years. I'd hate to run into another heartless liar."
That word "another" left a lot to the imagination.
After dinner, the group went to a KTV. Someone suggested playing the truth-or-dare game they used to play as students.
Tang Pianran spun the bottle. By pure coincidence, it pointed right at Jiang Ying. She was about to down the red wine in her glass when the man spoke up. "Senior, truth or dare? Let's do truth."
Amid the alumni's teasing, Jiang Ying heard the man's question: "Senior, do you really want to get married?"
Jiang Ying couldn't figure out what he was thinking and answered almost without a second thought. "What else would I do?"
That night, Jiang Ying went downstairs to throw out the trash. As she turned to close the door behind her, a long-fingered hand stopped it. The door cracked open, revealing the man's hateful yet captivating face.
The sound of her fiancé showering next door reached her ears. Tears welled in Jiang Ying's eyes as Tang Pianran kissed her lips until they were flushed red. The man was still unsatisfied. He rubbed his thumb over her lips. "Senior, you're so smart. Doesn't being with a stupid man make you sick?"
Everyone who'd spent time with Tang Pianran knew he was a proper, gentlemanly man who rarely smiled. Only Jiang Ying knew how outrageous he could be in private.
Younger man, two-year age gap
Blurb date: 2026.04.15
Theme: No one can, or needs to, be flawless in every way. There will always be someone who can make up for the parts of you that are broken, or the flaws you have.
