Echoes of a Secret Crush

[The print edition is now available. My next books are Blazing Heat and Let Me Be Biased. Preorder interest is welcome! Weibo: @Wanyang] Synopsis: In high school, Shen Ci was the undisputed golden boy: handsome, refined, and untouchable. He was also the grandest, most humiliating secret of Ye Shuci's girlhood. On the day she decided to give up, Ye Shuci sent him an unsigned letter. “Shen Ci, secretly loving someone is like walking across a narrow bridge. I tremble and stumble, timid and terrified, making you my whole world. But whether I cry or laugh, whether I'm happy or angry, you'll never know.” “Let me secretly love you for one last second.” Ye Shuci didn't see his reply until ten years later. * They met again at one of the most famous universities in Sucheng. A man stood beneath the camphor trees in an immaculate suit, his understated air of competence accentuated by features made more striking by the years. She thought Shen Ci no longer remembered her, but the man gave a low laugh. “Miss Ye, I'm Shen Ci.” Shen Ci quietly worked his way into her life. On a rainy night when traffic was at a standstill, he came up behind her with an umbrella, his faint fragrance drifting into her breath. Shen Ci bent close to her ear, smiling lazily just as he had all those years ago. “I want to pursue you.” “Would you do me the honor?” His searing, tender kiss fell at the same time. Fireworks burst in Ye Shuci's ears. * Later, Shen Ci said to her, “I don't want to secretly love you for one second. I want to love you openly for the rest of my life.” “From this moment on, Ye Shuci, I want to invite you into my world.” Seventeen-year-old Shen Ci and seventeen-year-old Ye Shuci hadn't been brave enough. But twenty-seven-year-old Shen Ci strode straight toward twenty-seven-year-old Ye Shuci. *Unrequited love / happy ending / sweet romance Next book: Blazing Heat Cocky, rebellious race car driver × popular comic artist Synopsis: Yun Li was only sixteen when she first met Shen Chi. The old man introduced her enthusiastically. “This is Yun Li, your Uncle Yun's granddaughter. She's staying with us for a while.” Yun Li blinked, clutching the straps of her schoolbag, and timidly called him, “Big Brother.” He frowned and went back to his room. “I didn't just magically get a little sister.” On the day Yun Li left, Shen Chi pretended not to care. “Can't you stay?” Yun Li gently shook her head. Shen Chi laughed in anger and slammed the door as he left. “Yun Li, you really are something.” * They reunited after the FIA GT Grand Prix. The AT Club was celebrating Shen Chi's spectacular victory. The man stood at the center of the crowd, surrounded by people, his carefree, reckless smile lit up in sharp relief. Yun Li approached him. “It's been years. Have you been well?” “Can't complain.” Shen Chi smiled faintly, his voice warm yet indifferent. “Naturally, I can't compare to the cold-hearted Miss Yun.” At that moment, Yun Li realized that Shen Chi was no longer the boy he'd once been. Seven years apart had left him with plenty of resentment. The day after they reunited, Yun Li was fretting over her parents pressuring her to marry when Shen Chi knocked on her door “Bring your ID. We're getting married.” They agreed to a treaty of peaceful coexistence. At first, everything went well. But that didn't last long, and Shen Chi kept crossing the line. Yun Li's eyes turned red as she clung to the man's arm and complained, “You said you didn't expect anything from marrying me...” “Li Li,” Shen Chi drawled, loosening his tie. His hot breath scorched her ear, and his voice was low and seductive “You wanted marriage. I wanted you. What's wrong with that?” * Shen Chi would never forget. When he was young and rebellious, he once came home late. The old man ordered all the lights in the house turned off, but Yun Li had left a small light on in her room for him. Beneath the brilliant stars, the little girl smiled brightly, her clear eyes captivating, as if she were resting in a sky full of tender, shimmering affection. “Brother Chi, you're home.” He remembered that scene for a long time. He would never forget it. *Since they parted, no one else had ever called her “Li Li” with such tenderness. Next book: Let Me Be Biased Synopsis: Shen Zhili, the campus belle of Nanwei University, was sweet and well-behaved. The boldest thing she'd ever done was make a grand confession to Zhou Lianxun. Nobody believed they could really get together. After all, Zhou Lianxun was untamed and carefree, changing girlfriends one after another. But they stayed together for two years. The day they broke up, dark clouds hung over the city and rain poured down. Shen Zhili gripped her suitcase, her eyes steady and resolute. “Zhou Lianxun, I really don't love you anymore.” * Years later, they reunited. Zhou Lianxun had become the most cold-blooded financier in Nancheng, while Shen Zhili had won an award for her new perfume, with CEO Zhou Lianxun presenting it to her. The man smiled lazily, just as he had back then. Everything was peaceful until a male colleague walked her home and confessed his feelings. Zhou Lianxun emerged from the shadows and grabbed her wrist. “Your taste has really gone downhill. You could fall for someone like him?” “As long as it's not Zhou Lianxun, anyone will do.” The man clicked his tongue and laughed. “I'll go change my name, then.” * Zhou Lianxun used to be a carefree playboy, but his personality changed completely after graduation. His friends once joked that he might as well become a monk. But one day, someone saw Zhou Lianxun keep the company's newly signed perfumer alone in his office. The man abandoned his usual aloofness and knelt to put a pair of luxury heels on her. In an ingratiating voice, he asked “Shen Zhili, new employees get through probation in three months. When are you going to make me permanent?” Roguish rich playboy × levelheaded perfumer Theme: Dreams, light, and love