In the accident when she was sixteen, just before her consciousness faded, Shu Jian saw Zhou Siyan's face.
From that moment on, she fell for her childhood sweetheart's older brother, making it the most closely guarded secret of her youth.
The day she heard that Zhou Siyan was engaged, it was the spring equinox.
In the pouring night rain, Shu Jian wandered aimlessly through the streets, dazed and heartbroken. Suddenly, an umbrella appeared over her head, and the wind and rain fell silent.
In the dim light, the young man was soaked through in black, almost blending into the curtain of rain.
Shu Jian stared up at him and met Zhou Yubai's deep-set eyes.
He looked down at her with his usual careless, mischievous smile. "How about giving me a try?"
A clap of thunder rang out, and a flash of lightning illuminated the young man's figure.
In that moment, Shu Jian thought she saw the face she had longed for in her dreams.
-
Although they were brothers, other than their similar looks, Zhou Yubai was nothing like the refined and steady Zhou Siyan.
He was born to shine, proud and untamed, impossible to rein in. There was never a shortage of girls chasing after him.
Shu Jian and Zhou Yubai grew up together, yet they were like two extremes.
She was obedient and reserved; he was free-spirited and unruly. No one ever imagined they would become entangled.
Until that spring night, when Shu Jian made the most rebellious choice of her rule-abiding life.
She touched Zhou Yubai's cold fingertips, let him take her hand, and followed him home.
Downstairs, relatives and friends filled the room, all praising the newlyweds as a match made in heaven.
Their rain-soaked clothes lay scattered around them. The cramped bathroom was humid and hot.
As their breaths mingled, Zhou Yubai noticed the girl in his arms stiffening. He let her go, his fine features blurred in the darkness.
Zhou Yubai raised a hand and casually traced his fingertip across her soft, damp lips. His low voice carried the roughness of someone well versed in romance.
"Shu Jian."
"Do I have to teach you to focus when you kiss?"
-
Long afterward, Shu Jian unexpectedly found the diary she'd lost years ago.
As she opened its yellowed pages, she saw that someone had crossed out every name that once held her girlish feelings. But at the end, there was a line in a familiar, forceful hand:
[Idiot, how much longer do I have to wait for you to see me?]
-Quirky girl x rebellious rich second-generation heir
-Journalist x competitive shooter
"You were the first stirrings of my youth, and you will be my final surrender."
Reader's guide:
1. From university to the city, 1v1, both leads' first time, the hero has a secret crush.
2. Soapy mistaken-identity plot, childhood friend becomes a substitute for love (not really).
Theme: I love you here.
