If You Like Me, Open Your Eyes

[Upcoming stories: "The Place of Silence" and "Springtime Postman." Their blurbs are below. If you're interested, please add them to your favorites.] The most reckless thing Song Jiaojiao did in college was agree to have an undefined relationship with Shen Jinbai. The man was a seasoned flirt, always at ease, the kind who could light a cigarette in the shadows and have women falling at his feet. The way he pursued her was just as bewitching. That day, they kissed beneath the neon lights in the bitter wind. His lips left hers. He gazed at her with tender warmth, yet his eyes were desolate and lonely. Shen Jinbai's voice held the intoxicating lure of someone who had acquired a taste for her. "Jiaojiao, give me a chance." - Boss Shen had always been a good lover. He might scoop up a handful of light and shadow from the water, but in the end, he could only ever be a lover. When Song Jiaojiao finally made up her mind to break up, she never expected this man, famous for his cold heart and faithlessness, to come looking for her after she'd dumped him. It was during an international tour by the National Ballet of China. By then, Song Jiaojiao had become a celebrated dancer and China's newest "ballet queen." It was winter again. Behind the curtain after the performance, the air was dim and stiflingly warm, and two shadowy figures clung to each other. Shen Jinbai brushed aside her sweat-damp hair. In the murky light, she couldn't make out his face. His voice was the only thing that felt real. He set aside the carefree attitude he'd once had toward life and slipped a ring into her palm. He said, "Jiaojiao, marry me." * Eight-year age gap * A conventional, passionate love story where the male lead loves the heroine more than she loves him * May you experience a love that sweeps you off your feet Blurb for "The Place of Silence" While away on a business trip, Fang Huai accidentally received photos of her rich boyfriend cheating on her. The last trace of affection vanished. Fang Huai called him and broke up with him on the spot. After she hung up, a soft laugh suddenly came from behind her in the frozen silence. Fang Huai jolted and whipped around A tall figure emerged from the shadows, idly playing with a silver lighter. "Well." Zhou Zhiqun lowered his head to light a cigarette, his gaze cool and clear. "Broke up with your little boyfriend?" - When Fang Huai had a boyfriend, her boss was just her boss. After Fang Huai broke up with her boyfriend, her boss began making a move on her. - Zhou Zhiqun, managing director of Tiansheng Investment Bank's Asia division. Ruthless and cold-hearted, he is a figure whom everyone in Jiangcheng's upper circles is eager to flatter, yet fears to some degree. No one knows that he has been secretly in love with someone for five whole years. At a department team-building event, an old friend teased him: "Come on, tell everyone. Which beauty has our Mr. Zhou so lovesick and chaste all these years?" Zhou Zhiqun smiled politely, but his gaze wandered to a corner of the room. His young secretary sat on a russet leather sofa, playing dice with her colleagues. She'd been drinking, and her smile was sweet and bright. For a moment, Fang Huai looked up as if sensing something. In the dim, shifting light, their eyes met. Zhou Zhiqun knew he'd finally gotten his chance. Blurb for "Springtime Postman" 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 cool, straight line, without a trace of warmth. The second time she saw him was in the rental building beside the school. He reached out to stop the malfunctioning elevator doors from closing on her. From then on, they biked to school at six in the morning and left at ten at night. Always two bicycles, always the two of them. Later, on the night after the college entrance exams, Shen Zhishu finally couldn't keep her three-year-old secret to herself. "Meng Zhiyang, I like you." He paused for a long time. His eyes brightened, then dimmed, and at last he refused in a low voice. "I'm sorry. I don't want to date anyone yet." · Later, Meng Zhiyang returned from overseas, and work brought them together again. After three months working side by side, they saw each other every day, but kept things strictly professional and said little. Then one evening... "Can I pursue you?" he asked softly. Shen Zhishu felt a little choked up. "You want to date now?" "Yes." Remembering how awkward she'd been back then, she returned his own words to him, exactly as he'd said them. "But I don't want to date anyone yet." Just like that night, Meng Zhiyang paused for a long time. This time, his eyes were clear and resolute. "Then I'll pursue you until you do." Theme: Stay true to yourself and remain steadfast in your dreams.