1.
Wu Ling first met Xu Boyi at a construction site by the roadside. The young man was squatting there, playing cards with a group of workers whose faces were sallow. He laughed with wild abandon, louder than anyone else. "Thirty-two times the stakes. You can't wriggle out of it this time."
The second time Wu Ling saw Xu Boyi was in the school's main auditorium. Xu Boyi leaned against the sign for the School of Architecture, laughing as he talked on the phone. "I don't want to lead the team either. It's not my fault I'm handsome. It's tough for me too..."
The third time Wu Ling saw Xu Boyi was in the cafeteria. She'd forgotten her meal card while waiting in line, and the people behind her kept urging her to hurry. Xu Boyi came over and handed her his card. "Get six liang of rice. Use mine."
2.
Wu Ling didn't fall for Xu Boyi on a whim.
Xu Boyi had been plotting to pursue Wu Ling for a long time.
After they got together, Wu Ling moved in with him despite her mother's objections. But by chance, she found out why he'd planned it all from the start.
---[Your family is really rich. Hurry up and make your move, kid.]
---[I'm getting there.]
3.
One day after their breakup, Xu Boyi went drinking with a friend.
His friend picked up a stack of money from the table and asked, "She hasn't come pestering you again, has she?"
Xu Boyi's eyes dimmed. "No."
That day, Wu Ling hadn't even looked back. She'd walked away without a moment's hesitation.
He gave a quiet, bitter laugh, knowing he really deserved to die.
Blurb written on July 1, 2022
Theme: Sweet romance.
