Close Your Eyes When We Kiss

[Please add The Spring Postman to your to-read list. Its blurb is below.] Gu Chenglin is the youngest associate professor in the economics department at Yaoda University. He has a refined, handsome appearance, but is famously merciless when it comes to academics. On the ring finger of his left hand, he always wears an utterly ordinary ring, polished shiny from being handled so often. Countless students gossip behind his back: "Marrying a devil of a teacher like him, and the ring is so cheap. His wife must be a masochist." Their words drift right into a secluded break room from the hallway. Inside, Lin Yiqiu suddenly feels guilty, as if caught in the act. She braces a hand against the man on top of her, trying to push him away. Gu Chenglin calmly bites her lip, then finds the ring finger bearing a ring identical to his own. "You're not paying attention." "What?" Lin Yiqiu is utterly confused. "To the kiss." He repeats it patiently, though helplessly. "You're not taking the kiss seriously." - The thing Lin Yiqiu least regrets doing when she was young was secretly changing her choice of international school without her mother's knowledge while she was still in high school She took her passport, all the pocket money she'd saved, and traveled across the ocean to find Gu Chenglin. That was also the year the man was at his lowest and most depressed, trapped in a hopeless situation after going to the United States for his doctorate. The young girl stayed by his side, always bringing her stubborn love and warmth. On his birthday, Gu Chenglin made an exception and carried her on his back for a long way, just as he used to. Golden light glittered along the Charles River. Lin Yiqiu leaned by his ear and, emboldened by drink, called him by his full name. "Gu Chenglin, if no one wants you in the future, and no one wants me either, why don't we settle for each other?" The man had two reasons for shaking his head: First, he doesn't settle; Second, he wants her. - I owe you a lifetime for all those beautiful dreams I never gave you. - From Young and Promising * Eight-year age gap * The leads are sort of childhood friends. They both pursue each other throughout the story. The early part is sweet with a little bitterness, and the later part is very sweet. * A slow burn, with a gentle, steady pace. * May this story warm your heart. The 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 mouth was a straight line, cold and distant, utterly devoid of warmth. The second time she saw him was in the apartment building beside the school. He reached out to hold back the malfunctioning elevator doors for her. From then on, they were always two bicycles and one couple, 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 buried for three years any longer. "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 right now." · Later, Meng Zhiyang returned to China, and they reunited through work. For three months, they worked together, seeing each other every day. They kept things professional and said little. At last, one evening "Can I pursue you?" he asked softly. Shen Zhishu felt a little hurt. "You want to date now?" "Yes." Thinking of how pitiful she'd been back then, she returned his words to him exactly as he'd said them. "But I don't want to date anyone right now." Meng Zhiyang paused for a long time, just as he had that night. This time, his eyes were clear and resolute. "Then I'll pursue you until you do." Theme: The person before you is the one in your heart