The Twenty-Fourth Rainy Season

[Next novel: Take Control Before Time Runs Out. A wicked woman seduces a poor boy, then they reconcile after a breakup. Full blurb at the end.]

[This novel: Scumbag gets his comeuppance · Second male lead takes the lead · Older woman/younger man]

1.

On her birthday, Ji Weiwei became the laughingstock of her social circle.

She arrived at Zhou Zihan's concert dressed to the nines and carrying a gift, only to hear him sincerely thanking everyone else. Even his newly hired assistant made the list, but in five minutes of remarks, he didn't say a word about her.

She stood in a corner, watching him laugh and chat with everyone else. Only then did she realize he had treated her well merely for the connections she could offer.

The rain fell hard that day, swallowing the whole world. She didn't cry. She just laughed at herself for losing yet again to the rainy season.

2.

Fortunes in that circle were always changing. Some people's fame was nothing more than a false boom.

On a variety show airing at the same time, Chen Shujue, who had only recently debuted, briefly outshone the heavily promoted Zhou Zihan. He was hailed as the perfect newcomer and a ratings magnet.

With the timing just right, the "perfect newcomer" began defending himself and striking back, tearing apart, bit by bit, the fake persona his senior had maintained for years.

With his downfall imminent, Zhou Zihan had no choice but to visit Ji Weiwei in person, hoping to use their past relationship to persuade her to work with him on a clarification.

But the person who opened the door was the last one he wanted to see: Chen Shujue.

The young man radiated defiance, like a wild dog ready to bite at any moment. Every word he spoke struck at the heart.

But when Ji Weiwei appeared, his expression changed in a second. Feigning innocence, he said, "Sis, did I say something wrong? I hope I didn't cause trouble for Senior Zhou."

Ji Weiwei stifled a laugh and played along: "Our newcomer is shy and not very good with words. He only knows how to tell the truth. Don't scare him, Senior."

3.

The shadow of her childhood planted a seed in Ji Weiwei's heart.

Instinctively, she shut out every intimate relationship. Each rainy season, that seed broke through the soil, relentless and unstoppable.

And yet someone slipped into her life without a sound, spending his whole youth recording everything that had to do with her.

By the time she finally understood her feelings, he had waited nearly ten years.

Chen Shujue always thought of himself as Quasimodo, the humble bell-ringer in love, and her as Esmeralda, the beloved forever beyond his reach.

He quietly prayed that one day his goddess would see past his false exterior and glimpse the gentle heart that beat for her.

If not, then let him be bold enough to get just a little closer.

"Actually, I don't want to call you Sis."

"And we're destined never to be friends."

-

The Quasimodo and Esmeralda in the blurb are from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

The variety show isn't the focus. The younger man has a hidden identity, and enters the entertainment industry for love. He's somewhat humble and lovesick early on.

Both are each other's first. They are actually three years apart.

At first: Gorgeous agent × green-tea newcomer

Later: Two-faced young tycoon × seemingly composed muse

The younger man is a hunter who appears to be prey, also known as the younger wolf-dog's guide to winning his wife.

[Next novel: Take Control Before Time Runs Out. Yan Chi × Ji Sichen. Reconciliation after a breakup.]

· A story about two people who think they don't love each other after breaking up, hurt one another, then get back together as they struggle with their feelings.

· Gorgeous award-winning actress and her hapless stepping stone.

· Yan Chi × Ji Sichen (Song Chi)

Blurb One:

As the youngest actress to win the Grand Slam, Yan Chi carved out a path in the entertainment industry by being both famous and controversial. Her resources were always top-tier.

But this time, she ran into a tough opponent and had no choice but to bow to the powers that be and attend a banquet that was clearly a trap.

After several rounds of drinks, the key figure at the banquet finally arrived.

They said he was the young Mr. Ji of Star-Picking, with real power in the company, and that a word from him could turn her situation around.

She raised her eyes through the haze of alcohol and met the man's cool gaze.

Her glass hit the floor, and the name that escaped her lips was one buried deep in her memories, a name that had nothing to do with him:

"...Song Chi."

Blurb Two:

The year they fell in love, she wasn't an international movie star, and he wasn't the eldest son the Ji family had found and brought home.

They rode bicycles along the river at sunset, studied together in the library, rushed to the supermarket for weekend specials, and shared the same cup of milk tea. They were poor, but content.

To let his girl stand on the awards stage looking radiant, he worked several jobs until his old injury flared up again.

But on Christmas Eve, he waited for her in the little plaza for five hours, until the snow began to fall. Only after his classmates dragged him away did he learn that she had left without a word.

When he saw her again, he was arguing with his mother, still refusing to return home and become a pawn.

He turned around

On the plaza's giant screen, she was smiling brightly in a luxurious evening gown, like a gift wrapped with care.

She was no longer Ah Chi, the girl who waited for him to finish work so they could walk home together. She was Yan Chi, the international movie star.

People around him discussed her films and praised her elegance. He knew only that she was a favored daughter of heaven, and that hers was a cruel love story about toying with a poor boy.

It began with the white swan chasing him and ended with the poor boy losing his heart.

A reporter asked her, "Miss Yan Chi, you're so alluring and seductive in your films. Have you ever been in love in real life? Would you pursue someone like that?"

In perfect Italian, she replied calmly, "No. Love makes people lose control. I like being in control of myself."

But he clearly remembered that in Florence, she had been the one to approach him first, flirting in a bar and asking him for a kiss. Her first words were:

"I heard you're called Ah Chi. What a coincidence, I'm Ah Chi too. I'm your fated girlfriend."

"I like you best."

Back then, she couldn't speak Italian. Now she was lying in the language he had personally helped her perfect.

//

Later, everyone thought the celebrity had been controlled by the powers that be, and that was how they had successfully plucked the delicate rose.

Only the people involved knew the truth: In that love game, the one who always gave in, loved desperately, and begged the other to stay...

was him.

Theme: Mutual respect is essential.