The Broken Window

[The next book will be Weekend Rendezvous. Check the author's page for the blurb~]

[Free-spirited sweetheart × ridiculously handsome hopeless romantic]

The summer after graduating from college, Fu Xiao was tricked by his buddies into taking a trip to the mountains. They claimed the scenery was beautiful, the air was fresh, and the trip would be good for his health and state of mind.

The dripping faucet, peeling wallpaper, and creaky bed in the little inn nearly drove him insane.

The pampered young master had grown up surrounded by luxury. He couldn't stand those conditions, so that very night he stormed into his friend's room next door, making a scene and demanding to go back to the city.

His friend couldn't talk him out of it. "It's too late today. We'll go back tomorrow."

In the hallway on his way back to his room, Fu Xiao ran into Chi Li.

The girl wore a white dress splattered with colorful paint. Her hair was casually twisted into a bun on top of her head as she reached for the doorknob.

Fu Xiao glanced at her, then pretended not to see her. To his surprise, Chi Li called out softly.

"Excuse me, could you open the door for me?"

The next morning, his friend packed up and went to bang on his door, grumbling all the way. Instead, he ran into Fu Xiao returning from a morning jog.

His friend was baffled. "You haven't packed?"

Fu Xiao: "This place is actually pretty nice. Let's stay a few more days. It'll be good for my health and state of mind."

His friend: ? Weren't you the one throwing a tantrum and insisting on going home yesterday?

That summer, Ming University’s School of Art unusually organized a summer camp for students to paint outdoors in the mountains.

A friend signed up enthusiastically and asked Chi Li if she was going.

Chi Li: "No. Summer camps are for elementary school kids."

Friend: "Professor Cui Shuqing, the person you admire most, is leading this camp."

Chi Li: "Sign me up."

Friend: :)

Ever since she enrolled, Chi Li had been known as "the School of Art's belle." There were plenty of rumors about her, and the most entertaining, not to mention far-fetched, was the romance fanfic about her and that genius upperclassman circulating on Ming University's fan page.

Some people said fanfiction was just for fun and shouldn't be taken seriously. Others thought there had to be some truth to it.

Then several related topics shot straight to the top of the school forum and campus marketplace.

#The School of Art's Belle Has Been Snatched Up#

#The School of Art's Belle and Her Mysterious Younger Boyfriend#

#Boyfriend Looks Just Like Fu Xiao, the Computer Science Prodigy#

While everyone was wondering whether the rumors were true, a video surfaced.

In a dimly lit karaoke room, a computer science hotshot was dead drunk, slumped against Chi Li's shoulder. She looked thoroughly annoyed.

He didn't seem to care. In fact, he pressed even closer, slipped an arm around her neck, and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.

People nearby started teasing them, and the room filled with laughter.

The person filming could barely stop laughing. "One kiss and that's it? Aren't you going to say anything?"

Fu Xiao was quiet for a moment, then slowly turned his eyes toward the camera.

"Happy birthday to my wife."

The title comes from the renowned author Yu Hua:

"The doorbell rang.

I was going to pretend I couldn't hear it.

But he kept knocking, each thud ringing clear and strong.

I thought, never mind. The person I love will break through the window."

· [Art student × young master]

[Free-spirited sweetheart × ridiculously handsome hopeless romantic]

[Wind meets fire]

· Both are virgins, each other's first love, happy ending.

· No real-life inspiration. Please don't draw parallels.

· Some characters' values don't reflect the author's. Please discuss rationally.

Also known as The Romance Their Friends Schemed Into Existence / From Rumored Couple to the Real Thing

This blurb was finalized on November 13, 2022, and revised again on January 4, 2024. Screenshots have been taken.

Theme: Become a better version of yourself.