Holding an Umbrella

The Han family is an old, distinguished clan, and its ranks have always been full of remarkable people. In this generation, Han Jiangying is the only odd one out: content with an ordinary, mediocre life, the only thing she has going for her is her docile obedience. She accepts her family's arrangements and marries Qin Qianshan. She believed she had given this marriage her all, but Qin Qianshan was never satisfied. He thought she had no personality and despised how she relied on him in everything. So when rumors spread among their circle that the young master Qin wanted a divorce, a friend asked him if it was true. Qin Qianshan held an unlit cigarette between his fingers. He neither admitted it nor denied it. Unable even to play the role of a canary, Han Jiangying, now divorced, became a complete outcast in her family. Then, one rainy night, the entryway light fell on a man who had come to visit. His gentle and refined manner could not conceal his melancholy, and his gaze burned. It was only then that Han Jiangying's rebellious phase arrived in a sudden rush. At the film festival red carpet, amid elegant clothes and glittering company, award-winning actor Wu Yu ignored the criticism and drew Han Jiangying under his umbrella. The rumors said she had been married once and was utterly mediocre. That day, the disapproval of the glittering crowd was louder than the rain. No one knew that Wu Yu had wanted to hold an umbrella over her ten years ago. She had been wearing a white cotton dress embroidered with a little bear on the chest, her youthful radiance impossible to hide even behind the curtain of rain. He had gripped his umbrella, wanting to open it for her. But as he hesitated, he watched Qin Qianshan come looking for her, and the two of them leave together beneath one umbrella. She was another man's woman. Wu Yu lowered his eyes and clenched his fist, unaware of the pain in his palm. He waited ten years for the chance and the courage to hold an umbrella over her in broad daylight, to watch her grow more confident, smile more often, and shine with life. And Qin Qianshan, whose rumors had come true, could only watch it all unfold before his eyes and burst into tears. "Yingying, won't you come back to me?" Please note before reading: 1. "Holding up a flower" is a Sichuan-Chongqing dialect term for an umbrella, because an open umbrella looks like a blooming flower. 2. The female lead has had a sexual partner; the male lead is an aloof, calculating rival who takes advantage of her vulnerability to rise above the male lead. 3. The male lead is the second male lead who rises to the top, pulling the female lead out of the mire. 4. The female lead is rather timid at first, but will transform later. Theme: Harmony and love