A sweet story.
When Zhou Wanli was nine, she accompanied her father to visit his benefactor. That was the first time she met Ren Pengcheng.
The young master looked noble and elegant, napping on a chaise longue. Zhou Wanli was dazzled by his exquisite, alluring looks. She snuck glances at him as she tiptoed behind her father through the corridor beneath the sunlit trees.
Later, by a twist of fate, she became his study companion. They grew up together, like childhood sweethearts in a romance story.
Not one thing about Zhou Wanli fit Young Master Ren's standards for a partner. Young Master Ren liked gaudily made-up, flirtatious women, while Zhou Wanli went barefaced every day, fresh and natural as a lotus. He liked beautiful but clueless girls who came last in class, while Zhou Wanli always ranked first in her grade. He liked girls who could cook, while Zhou Wanli couldn't tell soy sauce from vinegar and cut her fingers every time she chopped vegetables...
So Zhou Wanli watched her words and actions, and kept her secret crush just as tightly under wraps.
~★~☆~★~☆~~☆~★~☆~~☆~★~☆~ ~★~~☆~
Years flew by. The two of them had always kept their distance, and even when they met, things stayed lukewarm.
Until one day, Young Master Ren heard somewhere that Zhou Wanli was going to get married. The person who let the news slip was positively beaming, saying her intended was an older student in her department, a rare handsome, rich young man. They were a match made in heaven.
That very night, Ren went completely mad. He rushed straight to Zhou Wanli's school and cornered her against a wall. "Did you even ask me? Did you ask me about something as important as getting married?"
A crowd had already gathered. Zhou Wanli had just left class and had no idea what was going on. She stared at him, bewildered. "????"
Seeing her play dumb, Young Master Ren sneered and held up the prop from the wedding game they'd played when they were nine: a yellowed but perfectly preserved piece of paper. Under the streetlight, he raised an eyebrow and yelled at her:
"It's in black and white: our childhood marriage pact says Zhou Wanli will marry Ren Pengcheng and be his wife. You think you can marry another man behind my back? Hah!"
"Don't even think about it!"
Zhou Wanli: "...!?????"
[Delusional, tsundere rich young master x laid-back little fairy]
* Peng is pronounced with the second tone.
* Mutual pining, both virgins. The marriage is fake. The male lead is crazy and a few screws short.
* Love with no expiration date, affection that stretches a thousand miles.
Theme: Every day is spring.
