Ambition

[Modern urban romance, with the school scenes told in flashbacks, the second male lead becomes the endgame, marriage first, love later]

Ying Tang and Luo Xingzhou were the most eye-catching top students. One relied on financial aid to complete her studies, while the other was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Though they had nothing to do with each other, rumors of their ambiguous relationship kept spreading. Anyone with eyes could see that Luo Xingzhou liked Ying Tang.

He turned down a stream of wealthy young women who pursued him. Outsiders gnashed their teeth with envy, snidely remarking that an orphan like Ying Tang, with no family background, would be trampled into the dirt as soon as she graduated.

But nine years later, Ying Tang had not faded into obscurity as people had predicted. Instead, she returned to the country in a blaze of glory, becoming the legal profession's biggest dark horse.

Even more enviable was that Luo Xingzhou still stood by her side. Rumor had it that Ying Tang would soon fulfill her long-held wish and become Mrs. Luo.

On the day Luo Xingzhou planned to propose, Ying Tang found out and broke up with him first, saying only that they weren't right for each other.

Luo Xingzhou tried every way to make her stay, but Ying Tang remained unmoved. Usually so proud, he now had tears in his eyes, a mocking, bitter smile on his lips.

"Little Sugar, your heart really is made of stone."

*

Yu Wen was the undisputed top student at No. 1 High School, a man of few words. Even when the story of Ying Tang and Luo Xingzhou spread far and wide, it did nothing to dim his brilliance.

People also loved to gossip about his background. Like Ying Tang, he didn't fit in at this renowned private high school, and he was even more looked down upon than she was.

During their three years of high school, Yu Wen was nowhere to be seen except when necessary. He and Ying Tang were little more than acquaintances. So years later, when they reunited over a case and Yu Wen proposed marriage, Ying Tang agreed without a second thought.

*

Perhaps their similar backgrounds made them feel a kinship. In high school, they accidentally discovered each other's hidden sides, but both tacitly agreed never to mention it.

Even so, Ying Tang realized she had been far too naive. The powerful man before her was no longer the quiet, reserved boy he had once been.

Maybe he had never been that way at all. The Yu Wen of today flirted shamelessly with her and made no secret of his desires. He could be as outrageous as he pleased.

After a night together, Ying Tang, who had always taken everything in stride, rarely blushed. She couldn't help protesting, "I only kissed you once in high school! I was forced into it by the circumstances. Did you really have to remember it for so long?"

That was the extent of their few encounters.

Yu Wen fastened his buttons one by one. At her words, his fingers paused. The scene from back then appeared before his eyes: a pretty yet distant girl with a ponytail, forever followed by Luo Xingzhou, who suited her so perfectly it burned his eyes.

With his back to her, he suppressed the surging emotions and said, word by word:

"I did."

--You were never my moon. You were the ambition I could never reach.

A seemingly docile, cold-hearted beauty who stops at nothing to get what she wants VS a seemingly reserved, long-planning rising star who's just as bad. The blurb has been screenshotted.

Reader's guide:

1. Both leads are virgins, one-on-one romance. The author's blurb-writing skills are awful, so just read the story, dear readers.

2. A sweet romance focused on the relationship. The quoted line is from the internet and has been adapted by the author.

3. The female lead and the second male lead briefly dated, but their relationship was never consummated.

4. Please gently point out any plot or professional-knowledge issues. No unsolicited lecturing, but discussion is welcome.

Theme: Let's each work hard, then meet again at the summit.