Beibei's Second Chance

"Now I am worn down by worldly cares, having accomplished nothing. I suddenly thought of all the women of those days and considered them one by one. I realized their conduct and insight were all superior to mine.", Cao Xueqin

This is a collection of character biographies.

Gu Shuang, nicknamed Beibei, was an only child. Spoiled by her parents, she spent a carefree girlhood getting into all sorts of trouble. Her greatest offense was skipping school and neglecting her homework; her biggest worry was constantly falling in and out of love. That all changed when she was sixteen, and her father, who had made a fortune in business, abandoned his long-suffering wife.

After the divorce, her mother became volatile, fragile, and quick to anger. Her father, a middle-aged charmer, always showed up with a different woman. Her mother was perpetually suspicious, meddlesome, and neurotic, while her father's business career ran aground before it could even get underway.

Beibei graduated from college. Her uncle pulled some strings and got her a secure government job with light hours and an average salary. She should have followed the normal path for a girl her age: date, save money, get married, have children...

But her boyfriend was a Phoenix man from a small town, earning a fixed salary. He also had a widowed mother, a brother in college, and a sister in middle school...

Her wild but devoted father stepped in just in time, introducing her to the only son of a business associate: a rich second-generation heir, a master's graduate from overseas, and the picture of elegance and charm...

Beibei resolutely, decisively, and unhesitatingly...

This is a story about repeatedly going back to an old flame.

Readers who like both leads to be romantically inexperienced, please stay away. Readers who like debating values, please stay away.