When You

What should you do when you unexpectedly run into your childhood friend, whom you've loved for ten years?

Shen Duoran was surrounded by admirers at the center of the crowd. Ling Yan watched from afar, hiding in a corner.

As children, Shen Duoran was the illegitimate son in their apartment block who got bullied, while Ling Yan was the king of the kids, feared and admired by all. Whenever trouble came, he shielded Shen Duoran behind him.

During their teenage years, his "child bride" suddenly grew tall and handsome as time swept them along. It was hard not to fall for him, even for Ling Yan, whose first love was his childhood friend.

The more he loved Shen Duoran's gentleness and insight, the more he hated his opportunism and scheming.

The scar on his forehead throbbed faintly, reminding Ling Yan of the helplessness he had felt when he left home, carrying a body full of wounds.

The little yellow flowers from their story drifted far away. It turned out Shen Duoran could live so well without him.

*

Who would have thought that Shen Duoran would quietly buy a stake in the company and become Ling Yan's new boss?

With their roles reversed, someone was there to shoulder every difficulty Ling Yan faced. Anyone could see how openly the new boss favored him.

But Ling Yan avoided him at every turn, even thinking of disappearing again. Shen Duoran didn't dare push too hard, and at last learned what it felt like to chase his wife all the way to the crematorium.

At the gala, Boss Shen calmly took the stage and placed his hands on the black and white piano keys. "This song is for someone. I owe him ten years, and now it's time to pay him back."

If one day we both realize that anything is possible, will we still stay here?

"Ling Yan, I like you so much. Did you know?"

Scheming, hypocritical top x cheerful, beautiful, straightforward bottom

Reader's guide:

1. The story spans quite a few years, all of it about the youth of people born in the '90s.

2. Old-school, melodramatic, with buckets of angst poured out one after another.

3. One-on-one romance, with both of them stubbornly refusing to give up.

[PS: The love story that never got to finish in high school can finally have no regrets.]

Theme: I like you so much. Did you know?