Rich Peach Hues

1.

The first time they meet, Ruan Tao goes to a clinic to buy medicine.

Dr. Cui writes on the prescription with a quick rustle of his pen. "Ruan Tao, right?"

"Yes."

"Why not buy cold medicine at the hospital?" Zhu Ye asks, looking up at the clinic's sign.

Pei Qingyun teases, "How can a big hospital's medicine compare to the potent stuff from a little shop?"

The next moment, they open the door and hear what Dr. Cui said. Zhu Ye jokes, "Do you like soft peaches or firm ones?"

Pei Qingyun smiles faintly. "I like soft peaches. They're juicy when you bite into them."

The air instantly goes still. Their eyes meet.

Blushing, Ruan Tao corrects the doctor: "It's Ruan, with the ear radical, not the word for soft..."

2.

The next time they meet, Ruan Tao is in her second year of high school, and her family is struck by misfortune.

Her father's gambling debts come due, and he tries to use her as collateral to pay them off. Then comes the news that her grandmother has died.

Pei Qingyun says, "This fifty thousand isn't to buy her. It's to give her back her freedom for the rest of her life."

His gaze falls on Ruan Tao on the ground again. He holds out his hand to her. "Come home with me. Come home with us."

After taking care of the funeral, Ruan Tao stands in the courtyard, holding the few belongings she has. Her gaze moves over every corner, weighed down with complicated emotions, as stubborn, bitter tears slide from her eyes.

"When I look back on all those years, so many of my memories are unhappy that I can't even piece together one complete picture of happiness."

Pei Qingyun gently draws her into his arms and strokes the top of her head. His expression heavy, he looks across the courtyard. "Let the past stay buried in the earth. No matter how dark your past was, it can't compare to the sunshine in the years ahead."

"You're only seventeen."

3.

The first stirrings of love quietly take root the moment Pei Qingyun reaches out to her. Their first hug is the catalyst.

The summer after the college entrance exams, Ruan Tao comes of age.

After drinking too much, they support each other back to his apartment.

The moment the door closes, the alcohol gives Ruan Tao the courage to do what she usually wouldn't.

Through her hazy gaze, she realizes he's just as intoxicated as she is.

Seeing that he doesn't push her away,

Ruan Tao gets bolder and quickly strips him down to a peeled banana.

She thanks her lucky stars for being such a good wingman.

At the crucial moment, reason finally wins out. Pei Qingyun pushes her away, breathing hard.

In a fluster, he gets dressed and opens the door to leave.

Ruan Tao: "This is your home! Where are you going?"

Pei Qingyun tosses over his shoulder, "The house is yours now."

4.

Four years later, at a company dinner,

Ruan Tao finishes washing her hands in the restroom. As she turns, she bumps into the arm of the person beside her and quickly apologizes. "I'm so sorry."

When she looks up, she meets the gaze she hasn't seen in five years, so cool and distant it seems to spill over.

She never imagined they would meet again like this.

The world really is round.

Watching her hang her head as if looking for a crack in the floor to hide in, Pei Qingyun is the first to break the silence. "You avoided me for five years. You slept with me and then tried to run?"

At his words, Ruan Tao's jaw nearly hits the floor. She looks up in disbelief, points at herself, and stammers, "I-I didn't go through with it!"

[Reading Guide]: Weibo: @Shi Rongye

1. The heroine starts living at the hero's home during the summer before her second year of high school!

2. They are each other's first and only, physically and emotionally. The story includes both school and city life, with more emphasis on the city portion. The reunion takes place in the first two chapters; the main story begins in chapter three.

3. Age gap: five years, 22 and 27.

4. Electrical wildflower × energy-storage high-cold beauty

Theme: Simply existing is the best value.