How Could We Possibly Be Incompatible?

#Girls in STEM# / A Girl's Secret Thoughts (Career Edition)

The first time Tang Jian's roommate saw the childhood friend he'd always talked about, the girl he'd been at odds with every day since they were kids, he couldn't help suspecting that Tang Jian, a man nearly six feet three, was making the whole thing up.

He refused to believe that this girl in a rosy pink dress, with her big, smiling eyes and sweet-as-candy face, could be the "little demon" Tang Jian described: someone who always wanted to get one over on him and left everyone else in the dust when it came to being competitive.

"...You're shameless," his roommate said disdainfully. "Making up stories about a girl? Aren't you afraid lightning will strike you?"

Tang Jian shot him a sidelong glance. "You judge by appearances and can't see the whole picture."

His roommate snorted. "Talk is cheap!"

"In the first semester of my senior year, I won gold at the city men's basketball tournament." Tang Jian narrowed his eyes. "This year, when she graduated..."

"She won the women's gold medal?" his roommate asked, curious.

"...No."

"?"

Tang Jian: "...She took the referee certification exam for the city basketball tournament."

His roommate: "..."

Later, during a live broadcast of the CUBAL league, a short clip of Xia Li went viral, tagged "Sweet Referee's Killer Glare." It even briefly outranked Tang Jian, the handsome campus star whose striking looks had drawn plenty of attention before the game.

Xia Li, meanwhile, was thoroughly bothered by all the fuss.

One day, after class, Xia Li was hurrying off to grab a meal when a gossip reporter who'd sneaked onto campus blocked her way again. This time, before she could refuse, a slender, long-fingered hand pulled her right out of the camera's view. The camera, a beat late, caught only two figures walking away, one tall and one short.

The young man's back was straight and lean. His big hand rested firmly behind the girl's neck, pulling her along without giving her a choice, yet the way he shielded most of her body was unmistakably protective. The video had barely spread online before someone identified that silhouette: wasn't that the incredibly handsome guy who'd been trending just days earlier, after the referee called him for traveling twice at CUBAL and they traded glares, yet he still won MVP?

...Well, then?

Later still, the J-25, designed by Xia Li as chief designer, made its first test flight from the Liaoning carrier, piloted by Tang Jian, then an Air Force major, himself.

"Control tower, this is Falcon 101. First test flight, executing CAT-1. Catapult hook confirmed. Deck wind, 25 knots from the southeast. Requesting launch."

In his headset came Xia Li's calm, steady voice. She was personally stationed at the aircraft carrier's air traffic control center. "Control tower acknowledges. Falcon 101, catapult ready. Cleared for launch."

"Catapult acceleration nominal. Climbing after launch... Landing gear up. Entering assigned airspace."

#The breezes, dreams, and hard work of youth#

Reader's Guide

A sweet genius with incredible combat skills, an eccentric way of thinking, and a reflex arc that goes around the Earth three times x A sharp-tongued, jealous man with a rebellious streak who always ends up falling for her

Fighter aircraft designer x carrier-based aircraft pilot (dual-enrollment training program)

All aircraft models in this story are fictional and do not represent real-world models.

Professional details are based on information found online and in relevant reference books. Please feel free to point out any mistakes. Thank you.

A sweet, lighthearted romance.

Thanks for adding this to your collection.

A bow.

-

Next book: Bedchamber Rivals

The Chu and Shen families of Huancheng have been sworn enemies for generations, especially Chu Buhui, the eldest daughter of the Chu family, and Shen Yaojue, heir to the Shen family. The two are as irreconcilable as fire and water.

Ever since Chu Buhui took over the family business, the two have been openly and secretly battling without end.

They fight over private rooms at teahouses to listen to music, bid up prices against each other at auctions in South Lane, and even go all out to win the top prize in the Mid-Autumn lantern-riddle contest.

In short, every encounter brings sharp words and underhanded tricks. The people of the city are used to it by now, and even look forward to the show.

Who could have guessed that one day, news of the two families' impending marriage alliance would suddenly spread through every street and alley?

One nosy person worked up the courage to ask Luoluo if it was true. The young girl wore an unreadable expression but didn't deny it. Taking that as confirmation, the person went back and told everyone in town. They were so shocked their eyes nearly fell out. After all, Luoluo never left Chu Buhui's side, so if she said it was true, it had to be.

On the day of the wedding, everyone at the Shen residence was on high alert, afraid that the Chu family's resident troublemaker would splash the nuptial wine over their ever-good-natured master in front of everyone...

Only when dusk fell and the newlyweds had been safely sent to their bridal chamber did everyone finally dare to breathe a little easier. But before they could even finish exhaling, they heard a clatter of things crashing inside, followed by a furious, delicate shout: "Shen Yaojue! How dare you tear my clothes!"

Everyone outside the door: "..."

The next morning, the townspeople took their breakfast and gathered in front of the Shen residence, ready to watch the newlyweds tear the place apart.

But the red candles burned down and daylight came, and still, all they saw was this:

The Shen heir, with a suspicious bite mark at the corner of his mouth and looking refreshed, rode east through the morning dew. Miss Chu, rubbing her aching waist with a cold expression, climbed into a sedan chair and headed west to inspect the shops.

The townspeople: o.o--0.0?

Another bold soul tried to stop Luoluo for some gossip, only to find the young girl blushing from head to toe as she repeatedly insisted she didn't dare say another word about her masters.

Later still...

Everyone said the couple were only pretending to be husband and wife for the sake of their families' reputations. That was until Chu Buhui's identity, hidden by her family for twenty-two years, was suddenly exposed to the world. On the day heavy snow sealed off the city, news of an attack on a merchant caravan set off a commotion.

Everyone saw Shen Yaojue ride through twelve city gates under the cover of night. His black cloak was stained dark with blood, and he looked like a demon risen from the underworld, yet he carefully carried the unconscious Chu Buhui all the way back to the residence.

Later still...

Why were this married couple still "fighting" every single day?

Reader's Guide:

Couple: A radiant, stunning red rose x A refined gentleman with a hidden ruthless side

Fictional ancient setting / One-on-one romance / He has a secret crush on her / Mutual love after marriage / Bickering couple's daily life

Theme: The pure-hearted determination to pursue your dreams in youth.