※ The blurb for my next book, Out of Control, Off the Rails, is at the end. An angsty, sweet-and-sour story of rekindled love and push-pull tension. You're all welcome to add it to your lists~
Lin Yi fell for Shen Zhiyan on an unexpectedly rainy night in college.
Drenched and looking a mess, she ducked out of the rain, only to accidentally stumble upon something private of his.
After he noticed her, the man lowered his cool, aloof eyes, a hint of irritation beneath his lids, but casually handed her an umbrella.
Back then, Shen Zhiyan, a medical student, was the most dazzling prodigy on campus. He drew everyone's attention and seemed flawless. Lin Yi was just one of countless admirers.
She watched too many people fall for him, and saw countless girls throw themselves at him one after another, only to return in defeat without exception.
Lin Yi saw things clearly. She knew she would never be the exception, so she quietly hid her feelings.
She hid them so deeply that she didn't even have the courage to stand before him and properly make his acquaintance.
Years later, when they met again, Shen Zhiyan had become her attending physician. Lin Yi decided to put everything behind her and focus on being a perfectly proper patient who was a stranger to him.
But the man's gaze settled on her, dark and steady, and he gave a soft, mocking laugh. "Lin Yi, we've met before."
-
Lin Yi had always thought of Shen Zhiyan as a soft breeze carrying clouds, forever drifting onward. He had passed briefly by her side, stirred up a ripple, then rushed on, never to cross her path again.
She never imagined that the aloof, proud man would keep watch downstairs night after night, just to tell her:
"Hello, Lin Yi. I'm Shen Zhiyan. Could we get to know each other again?"
"There's only one thing I'm certain of, Lin Yi: I love you."
Coming Soon: Out of Control, Off the Rails
[Full draft in progress]
Reunion after years apart | Rekindled love | Angsty-sweet push and pull
Mistress's status, wife's attitude | I was here first, tell him to get lost | Chasing your wife doesn't count as getting slapped in the face
Qin Sui met Zhou Tingxu again six years after they broke up, at a blind date arranged by their parents.
Only, her blind date was Zhou Tingxu's younger brother.
While their families chatted and laughed, the man she'd abruptly dumped years ago sat off to the side, indifferent, without sparing her a glance.
It wasn't until someone brought up that they'd attended the same university that Zhou Tingxu looked her way for the first time. His gaze was cool and distant, as if she were a stranger.
But only for an instant.
Then he looked away and said in a flat voice, "We aren't close."
Qin Sui felt guilty. "I went to the same university as Senior Zhou, but we weren't in the same year. We really aren't close."
The man across from her let out a soft, mocking laugh but didn't argue.
She'd played with him for two years, then pulled on her pants and walked away. No feelings, no commitment. How could they be anything but "not close"?
*
Qin Sui knew Zhou Tingxu had always been proud. She'd been the one to cruelly dump him back then, so he had every reason to resent her.
When they met again years later, she did her best to avoid him.
But after an accident, Qin Sui had no choice but to ask him for help.
In the pouring rain, the man stood tall and looked down at her. "Miss Qin, what status are you coming to see me in this time?"
Zhou Tingxu now had a fiancee, and the marriage alliance between her and his younger brother was moving forward. It was completely inappropriate for the two of them, once lovers, to keep getting entangled.
She lowered her eyes, at a loss for how to answer.
But the next moment, he gripped her chin and kissed her without giving her a choice.
The kiss was passionate and lingering, just like their first love.
When it ended, the man rested his forehead against hers and let out a low, mocking laugh. "You want to play me again."
Qin Sui trembled. "Please, help me..."
But Zhou Tingxu's thumb rubbed over her red lips without a trace of tenderness, his eyes ice-cold.
"Qin Sui, what right do you have to ask me for anything?"
*
Zhou Tingxu came from a distinguished family. Young and successful, he was the group's handpicked heir, and everyone praised him as a paragon of virtue and a heaven-sent prodigy.
Yet this very man personally stole his younger brother's girlfriend.
The long-planned proposal ceremony was secret and lavish, but the heroine never showed up.
In the top-floor presidential suite, the bathroom was thick with steam. Qin Sui was trapped in the arms of the once-arrogant man, whose burning, lingering kisses fell one after another on the back of her neck.
The phone on the table rang nonstop, but Zhou Tingxu held her tight around the waist and showed no intention of stopping.
He pleaded again and again.
"Sui Sui, you can play me however you want."
"Don't pay attention to him. Only look at me."
Reading Guide:
1. Both leads are each other's first and only love. The male lead's fiancee is a misunderstanding.
2. The heroine and the younger brother are in a contract relationship.
Theme: Treat each other with sincerity.
