At eighteen, Ruan Mingzhu and Liang Yan were worlds apart. She was awkward and taciturn, with a strange temper, nowhere near as bright and outgoing as her twin sister, who was so easy to like.
Liang Yan, meanwhile, was carefree and wild, a rebel who always had a string of women around him. No one ever imagined two people so utterly different would end up together.
Everyone assumed Liang Yan was just having a bit of fun, and that the two would soon break up.
They graduated and went their separate ways. Gradually, everyone forgot about their wildly mismatched relationship.
Years later, old friends met again. At the reunion, they exchanged polite greetings.
During dinner, everyone learned that Mingzhu, the class monitor who had always kept a low profile, had devoted herself to scientific research and become the youngest physicist in the country. She was a completely different person now, and the news left them amazed.
Who would have thought that the unremarkable grain of sand from back then would one day become a brilliant, dazzling pearl?
As they marveled at her transformation, they couldn't help recalling that old story. Someone asked with ill intent, "Class monitor, are you and Liang Yan still dating?"
Mingzhu paused, stroking the ring on her finger. "No."
Hearing this, the person hastened to comfort her, though a trace of schadenfreude lurked in their eyes.
"A playboy like Liang Yan, a rich young master who lives for the moment, is cold-hearted. Once the novelty wears off, he never stays with anyone for long. You're no exception, class monitor. Don't take it too hard."
Mingzhu smiled faintly and said nothing.
After the gathering, it began to rain. Someone kindly offered, "Class monitor, shall I take you home?"
Mingzhu shook her head and gently declined. "Thank you, but my husband is already on his way to pick me up."
The sudden news of her marriage left everyone stunned. Before they could react, dazzling headlights pierced the rainy night. A man stepped out of the car, tall and elegant, his long-fingered hand holding a black umbrella as he walked toward them.
The lights blurred in the rainy night. Liang Yan stopped beneath the umbrella, his expression as languid as ever.
As everyone exchanged baffled looks, unable to make sense of things, the man drawled, "Mrs. Liang, let's go home."
*
During the last summer vacation after the college entrance exam, Ruan Mingzhu and Liang Yan spent two of the most chaotic, absurd months of their lives together in a rented apartment.
On a hot, humid summer night, moonlight shone through the paneled windows. Their breathing rose and fell, their sweat mingled, and when her dangling hair brushed his knuckles, it brought a faint, tingling itch.
Liang Yan smoked alone on the balcony. She leaned in and took a drag, imitating him, a clear moonlight settling in her eyes.
As the smoke dispersed, she said, "Liang Yan, let's run away together."
Liang Yan was a mess, lost in depravity, his life a pool of mud.
Then, that midsummer, he finally found his "salvation."
His...
"Ally."
Mingzhu x Liang Yan
"Good student" x "bad boy"
One strives to rise x one gives himself over to ruin
Theme: Never give up on anyone.
