An Overdue Fairy Tale

Dear readers, please remember to save this one even if you're waiting for it to build up chapters~

[Childhood Sweethearts | Long-Standing Schemes | Rekindled Romance]

An obsessive childhood friend with an inferiority complex and self-destructive tendencies * a gentle, resilient childhood sweetheart who shines like the sun

When she was little, Yu Zhiyao discovered that someone else had taken over her title as the “perfect child.” She learned it was because a new boy had just moved into the apartment downstairs.

Wen Qianli.

She repeated his name over and over, then dragged him home to see what made him so exceptional. But as they spent time together, she realized he wasn't as flawless as the adults claimed.

He was far too mature for his age, because he was responsible for everything at home.

He put on a fake smile for everyone, because to him, a smile was the cheapest bargaining chip.

As for why he put up with her pestering him, it was probably because he needed something to liven up his dull life.

Staring at his handsome, refined face, Yu Zhiyao couldn't help wanting to peel away that mask of false gentleness.

As a teenager, Yu Zhiyao was like a rose in full, vibrant bloom. She had been raised in comfort, understood the ways of the world but wasn't slick, and could read social cues but not people's hearts.

So when a furious delinquent cornered her in the restroom, Wen Qianli's appearance came as a surprise.

The usually gentle, well-mannered boy actually rolled up his sleeves and punched the delinquent until his head was battered and bloody. He remembered to cover his bloodied hands with his school uniform, afraid that the sight would sully her eyes.

On a stormy night, he even climbed up the drainpipe to her windowsill, soaked to the skin, his hair in disarray and clinging to his pale cheeks. Nothing like his usual cool and refined self, he looked utterly wretched, his confusion and hurt twisted into a possessive obsession.

She wanted to pull him inside, but when she reached out and met his hopeful gaze, she drew the curtains instead.

"Don't come bother me again."

The day before they parted, she got her wish and saw his truest self. The price was losing someone she had looked up to.

Before moving to City C, Wen Qianli's life was bleak and monotonous.

After moving to City C, he had a chattering little girl following him around.

"Why don't you come home with me? My parents really like you."

Her eyes were bright and dazzling, no less brilliant than the sun.

Later, when the sun no longer shone on him, his heart turned to ashes.

He wept with the rain, fell from a high-rise, and felt something inside him suddenly go hollow.

He spent night after sleepless night as the love and desire buried within him for years gradually warped.

He resented her for drawing him in, hated her for her ruthlessness, and begrudged her generosity... He hated himself for being so useless and insecure, unable to become the kind of person she liked.

When he learned she had been admitted to University A, Wen Qianli finally got a good night's sleep.

Remembering that their first meeting hadn't gone well, he put on his finest clothes on the first day of term, hoping to introduce himself to her all over again.

After enduring the agony of their separation and thinking of her day and night, he finally reunited with the girl four years later. The first thing she said to him was:

"Brother Qianli, could you give me your roommate's WeChat?"

[Bonus Scene]

As an adult, Yu Zhiyao had shed her prickly exterior and was trying to act as sweet and obedient as someone from her memories. Meanwhile, Wen Qianli had dropped his own disguise, making him especially hard to handle.

He still couldn't let go of what had happened back then. The usually gentle, refined man took off his gold-rimmed glasses, his long fingers sliding across her damp palm.

"Baby... look at me. Do you know who I am?"

Or he could be downright wicked and stop just when she was enjoying herself.

"Baby, what do you have to say if you want to keep going?"

"Mmm..."

"Say you only love me."

1. Single-couple romance, one-on-one pairing, happy ending. The male lead is two years older than the female lead.

2. All characters in this story are adults.

3. The timeline moves from university to city life, with flashbacks to the leads' childhood.

4. Neither lead is perfect, and they each have their flaws. The female lead has a character growth arc.

5. The male lead appears to be a cultured, gentle gentleman, but beneath the surface he's controlling, dark, twisted, and crazy. He has self-destructive tendencies and an incredibly strong possessive streak.

Theme: Be more sincere and rely less on tricks.