Silken Threads in the Heart

[Please add "Spring Postman" to your wanted list. The blurb is below.] The year Shen Kou's family fell into ruin, she plummeted from the clouds to the dust. Fortunately, she met Lu Tongchen. He was at the top of China's real estate industry, always courteous and measured, knowing exactly when to advance and when to hold back. He pulled her from the mire of her life and led her into the light. Over the years, the attraction between them grew, but she never dared to confess her feelings. Until the night of Shen Kou's twentieth birthday-- The president of her university club cornered her in the city-center plaza and confessed with a bouquet of flowers. As the crowd around them grew louder, cheering them on, it became harder and harder for her to refuse. Just as she found herself at a loss, someone grabbed her wrist. She turned and fell into a familiar yet unfamiliar embrace. Lu Tongchen's low, impatient voice sounded above her. "She already has someone she loves." · Later, Shen Kou remembered the day Lu Tongchen proposed. After they made love, the two of them lay in bed. He held her from behind, twirling a strand of her hair in his fingers. "Let me ask you something." A warm, amber light glimmered in his eyes. "Would you like to be Mrs. Lu?" · * Thirteen-year age gap * Gentle pace, warm and angst-free -- "Spring Postman" blurb -- Shen Zhishu first saw Meng Zhiyang on the school's honor roll. Buzz cut, fair skin, glasses. All the other top students were smiling, but his lips were set in a straight, cool line, devoid of warmth. The second time she saw him was in the apartment building beside the school. He reached out to stop the malfunctioning elevator doors from closing on her. From then on, they rode their bikes together every day, from six in the morning until ten at night. Later, on the night after the college entrance exams, Shen Zhishu finally couldn't keep the secret she'd carried for three years any longer. "Meng Zhiyang, I like you." He was silent for a long time. His eyes lit up, then dimmed, and at last he refused in a low voice. "I'm sorry. I don't want to date anyone right now." · Years later, Meng Zhiyang returned to China, and work brought them together again. After three months working side by side, they were always in each other's sight, yet strictly professional and rarely spoke. Then one evening-- "Can I pursue you?" he asked quietly. Shen Zhishu felt a little stifled. "You want to date now?" "Yes." Remembering how miserable she'd been back then, she gave his own words right back to him, exactly as he'd said them. "But I don't want to date anyone right now." Meng Zhiyang fell silent for a long time, just as he had that night. This time, his eyes were clear and resolute. "Then I'll keep pursuing you until you do." Theme: Only by striving to become your best self can you do justice to your life.