Yang Dongxi's memories of her hometown were of sweet, refreshing melons in spring, chilled watermelons in summer, tart green tangerines in autumn, and bitter pomelos in winter.
She was always thinking of them, following her father from place to place.
Then one day, she returned.
It was late autumn. Green tangerines clustered in twos and threes in front of the courtyard gate, their weight bowing the branches.
A strange boy stood among them.
Standing outside the fence with her hands on her hips, she asked, "Hey, who are you?"
The boy glanced at her without answering, then turned and tossed the green tangerines he'd just picked into a basket.
Just as Yang Dongxi climbed over the fence to confront him, a friend called to him from afar, and he left.
His gloves, clippers, and basket of green tangerines were all left behind.
Yang Dongxi watched him run off and muttered, "Thief."
*
On Monday, she transferred to a new school.
He was her new deskmate. They exchanged glances, then both looked away without a word.
Soon, she heard from the other students' chatter that this "thief" was top of the grade and admired by the whole school.
She secretly rolled her eyes. So what if he was a top student? He was still a tangerine thief.
*
Years later, Yun Jin toyed with a green tangerine and held it out to Yang Dongxi.
"Give it a try. This one isn't sour."
Yang Dongxi didn't take it. Instead, she asked, "How do you know?"
She'd eaten thousands, if not tens of thousands, of green tangerines. There was no such thing as a completely sweet one, but she preferred that perfect balance of sweet and sour.
Yun Jin set the tangerine aside and bent slightly to meet her eyes. "Because he's been waiting for you to peel it."
Reading guide:
1. Single-couple romance, reunited after a long separation. They spend a period apart.
2. Mutual pining, forced apart before they get the chance to confess.
3. Our male lead is not a thief!!
Blurb written April 27, 2026, and screenshot for safekeeping.
Theme: Every fruit was once a flower
