//Love can't be hidden, so softly say, "I miss you" / age gap / sweet romance
The aloof beauty x the unruly girl
[1]
All the kids in the compound knew that the little tyrant Yan Yan raised hell wherever she went. She could throw punches at teachers and knock her playmates' front teeth out, but she was also a pitiful little thing whose mother had passed away and whose father didn't care about her.
He Chengling knew that too.
So when Yan Yan dirtied his expensive shirt, ruined the first draft of his painting, and even staged a scene in front of a teacher accusing him of being a child trafficker, he never really got angry with her.
That is, until he caught Yan Yan driving away his third blind date right outside the restroom.
Yan Yan had her hands in her pockets and was chewing gum. "Miss, you should just leave."
"Why?"
"Look." Yan Yan rolled up her sleeve. "Uncle He has a violent streak."
Yan Yan put on a mysterious look and leaned in to add, "Besides, I think he likes robbing the cradle."
The third blind date's face darkened. She grabbed her bag and stormed off.
Only then did He Chengling realize he had spoiled Yan Yan too much.
[2]
The first time He Chengling broke his promise was when he left early, without keeping his appointment with Yan Yan.
Yan Yan watched his slender figure as he held up a black umbrella and disappeared into the rain.
Her eyes reddened, but she said with studied indifference, "So what if he left? It's no big deal."
[3]
He Chengling had always thought he had excellent self-control.
Until he saw Yan Yan again after all those years. She was dazzling, as if she had been reborn, and the tall, slender young man beside her, gazing at her tenderly, was just as hard to look at.
Only then did he understand what it felt like to flee in defeat.
A little scene:
After they got together, Yan Yan lay across He Chengling's lap, turning the pages of an art book as a cherry rolled into her mouth.
She asked indistinctly, "Why did you come looking for me later?"
He Chengling raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You mean that?"
"I heard I have a thing for robbing the cradle. I think there's some truth to that."
Yan Yan: ...
She nearly choked to death on the cherry pit.
[PS: There is no romance or intimacy depicted before the heroine becomes an adult.]
Reading guide
1. Age gap of nine years, one-on-one romance, happy ending.
2. Read or drop as you please. No need to tell me if you drop it. Please be gentle about any plot holes, and don't attack me personally.
*Blurb revised on May 24, 2021, screenshot saved.
Theme: Grow up well, even in adversity
