Captivating the Heart

[Main story complete, with a happy ending]

1.

After a sudden family tragedy, the high-and-mighty Ni Qing is forced to move out of the neighborhood where she has lived for years and relocate with her mother to an obscure little town.

She will never forget the boy at the corner of the alley on the day she arrived.

It was raining. In a shabby, damp corner, Cheng Qi wore a cheap, yellowed white T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. His expressionless hand was clamped around the neck of the boy in front of him.

Later, she heard people talk about Cheng Qi. They said he was addicted to fighting, had a vicious temper, and could be ruthless enough to slit someone's throat.

But what did that have to do with her? Their paths in life clearly would never cross again.

That should have been the end of it. Until one day, as Ni Qing was walking home with the boy next door, Cheng Qi, reeking of alcohol, collapsed against her. His voice was husky and soft. "Ni Qing, don't just look at him. Turn around and look at me too... will you?"

"Hmm? Will you..."

2.

Unfortunately, the woman was heartless. Before she had given him a clear answer, she vanished from his life completely. She left without a second thought, without even saying goodbye.

3.

On the day they met again, Cheng Qi, renowned for his "ruthlessness," "cold heart," and "disinterest in women," stared down at the familiar figure in the distance. His tall frame blocked Ni Qing's way.

Ni Qing looked up and gave him only a faint glance. In the tone one might use with a stranger, she said, "Excuse me."

He ignored her words, his dark eyes fixed on her. "You can't pass."

"Ni Qing." He said her name.

"You'll never get past me in this lifetime."

4.

Looking back, that should have been the one and only encounter between a rose from the big city and a vine flourishing amid the bustle of ordinary life, not their first encounter.

*Redemption / School life / Proud black swan x brooding, cool guy

*Blurb revised on January 7, 2022, screenshot saved

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