[Female unrequited love + male lead chases his wife + reunion after a long separation + unrequited love fulfilled. There will be plenty of steamy sweetness later on.]
[Small-town fiction. Both leads are completely pure in body and mind.]
Sensitive, introverted girl x gentle, cunning man
1
After graduating, Ye Tong took over a bookstore on a small-town street.
One stormy night, a man walked in, rainwater soaking his handsome, refined features.
"Do you have standard practice books for first graders?"
"We do. Parents of students at Nanhuai School get a discount."
The man showed her his verification in the parents' group chat.
The moment she saw the name "Shang Xu," Ye Tong looked up sharply.
The instant their eyes met, the hot milk tea in her hand hit the floor with a crash.
The boy she had secretly loved for seven years was standing right in front of her, asking her to buy a first-grade textbook.
"You're from Nanhuai No. 1 High School, too? We're schoolmates." He picked up the cup for her.
She gripped her apron tightly and finally said the words she had rehearsed in her heart countless times:
"My name is Ye Tong."
"Hello, I'm Shang Xu." He smiled brightly.
From then on, Shang Xu became a regular at the bookstore.
He worked in a corner, sometimes helped her organize the shelves, and fixed the old fan in the shop.
They grew closer and talked easily for hours.
Ye Tong thought this was a gift from fate, arriving late.
Until one day, at a bookstore event, she added him on WeChat.
His Moments were full of a little girl's smiling face: leaning on his shoulder, tugging at his hair, and acting completely at ease with him.
In the background of the photos, there was always a beautiful woman.
The family looked so close.
Shang Xu also often walked the little girl, Shang Kewei, to and from school every day.
Bitterness filled her heart. Her seven years of silent love dissolved into nothing.
Ye Tong turned off her phone, her chest aching with a heaviness she could barely bear.
She began to distance herself. She stopped replying to his messages asking if she wanted a late-night snack, cut off contact, avoided him, and stopped checking anything about him.
Watching him lead his "daughter" to and from school outside the window, she pressed the profile sketch she had spent seven years drawing into the very bottom of a bookshelf.
"It's time to end this," she told herself.
2
His older sister was hospitalized with an illness.
Shang Xu volunteered to take Shang Kewei to and from school.
Then one day, he met the fascinating owner of a bookstore.
They could talk about anything, and Shang Xu fell deeply in love with this thoughtful, gentle girl.
But one day, the girl stopped answering his messages and deliberately avoided every attempt he made to get closer.
Shang Xu was tormented.
Then one day, he happened to find a portrait of his profile in the corner of her desk.
At the bottom of the picture, a line of words blurred by tears was still clearly visible:
"The seventh year I've loved you."
3
At a blind date arranged by her mother, Ye Tong forced a smile at her university classmate.
Then the restaurant suddenly cleared out, and the manager bowed apologetically. "The owner would like to offer you a gift."
Ye Tong was led upstairs to a lavishly decorated, empty room with a single warm light shining in the center.
Shang Xu sat beneath it, his gaze fixed on her.
"Long time no see, Ye Tong."
"Would you do me the honor of skipping the blind date and officially getting together with me?"
Reader tips:
1. The male lead genuinely doesn't know the heroine at first. She has a crush on him throughout high school and university, and only later does he fall for her wholeheartedly. If you don't like this, this story isn't for you.
2. A mix of sweetness and angst. Bittersweet story with a happy ending. Both leads are completely pure in body and mind.
3. The heroine is a cool beauty, just a little insecure. The male lead is a gentle, handsome man.
Theme: Those who love each other will find their way to each other in the end.
