In her second year of high school, Shen Jiangli was sent from her grandfather's home to live with her aunt.
She was like an old thing that no longer fit, body and soul, carelessly stashed beneath someone else's roof.
She had long understood that she was a burden, someone nobody expected anything from.
So she pretended to be good, obedient, and unbothered. She turned herself into a hedgehog, using a disguise to protect what little self-respect she had.
Until she met Fang Yubei.
He was the only ripple on the lake she had pretended was calm.
-
Fang Yubei knew he had a bad reputation. He was a jerk, a bully. Some people even blamed him for his mother's death.
He carried on as usual, running his stall, going to school, laughing and cursing.
Fang Yubei didn't care.
He turned his heart into a deserted island, stubbornly refusing to let anyone land, and let weeds grow wild across it.
Until he met Shen Jiangli.
That day, she stood in front of him wearing rabbit pajamas. Her eyes were even redder than a rabbit's, and she cried as she told him she had nothing, that she was completely alone.
"Why are you being nice to me?"
"What could you possibly get from me, Fang Yubei?"
As she questioned him again and again, Fang Yubei pulled Shen Jiangli into his arms. For the first time, he gave someone permission to land on his deserted island.
Later, the island had all four seasons, and the hedgehog put away her spines.
Two people covered in cracks became a light that let each other see.
They were two punctuation marks overlooked by fate, completing a perfect circle in each other's stories.
[Little Scene]
The day she was followed by a creep, she had nowhere else to turn. Standing by his food stall, she shouted, "Dear boyfriend, I want a double-beef-patty burger today!"
Fang Yubei glanced lazily behind her, then vaulted out of the back of a little yellow van and casually plopped his baseball cap on Shen Jiangli's head.
"Two beef patties," the boy said in a cool, carefree voice.
"Girlfriend or not, there's no discount."
The next time she saw him, Fang Yubei was being cornered by a younger girl confessing her feelings.
The girl spoke with such earnestness that her face flushed and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Fang Yubei wore his loose school uniform, his long lashes lowered. It was impossible to tell if he was listening.
"Oh, my girlfriend?" Fang Yubei suddenly looked up and met Shen Jiangli's gaze.
"There she is."
Shen Jiangli: "I'm not."
Fang Yubei: "You didn't pay for the beef patties."
Shen Jiangli: "...I am."
[Reader's Guide]
• Sensitive girl x laid-back bad boy
• Mutual healing | school life | bickering | slow burn | happy ending | ensemble cast
• "Ali, as long as I want to, I can put down roots anywhere.
Including in the barren heart you think you have."
Theme: Only when we aren't afraid to trust can we find love.
Farewell, Spring Breeze
The Princess of Mario’s Dragon-Slaying Chronicles
When the Fog Lifts
The Wind Passes Over the Late River
Passing Rain
No Sight of Streams or Mountains
Fake Couple Again
Bound by Tenderness
Loving You Tastes Like Strawberries
Lemon Simmered in Warm Water
Dearest
He's in a Bad Mood Again Today
"Xia Shixue, as a senior CO..." Is a big mistake for the author ~ it is "in a row" [Let me be healthy]
""Come back and take a rest, in the afternoon..." This is a big bummer for the author~ It should be "don't forget" [Let me be healthy]
"... I'll learn from you guys..." It's a big bummer for the author~ It should be "otherwise" [Let me be healthy]
""I don't care what happens to you in the future..." This is a big thorn in the side of the author~ The "zai" in the third sentence is the word "zai" [Let me be healthy]
""Them? It's too late to hide. ..." This is a big bummer for the author~ The last sentence should be this "in" [Let me be healthy]
"The parents of the children all treat her..." This is a big mistake for the author~it is "reaching" that is right [Let Me Kangkang]
"Like a butterfly in South America..." This is a big bug for the author~it's "two" [Let me be healthy]
"Shen Jianglei and Xia Shixue are in a group,..." This is a big bug for the author~ The first word "next to" is wrong [Let me be healthy]
"Qian Tiancheng repeated it like this." This is a big bug for the author~ It seems that "repeat it truthfully" is the right thing [Let me be healthy]
"Qian Tiancheng lowered his head, this little book..." It's a big mistake for the author~ "There are too many things" is the right thing [Let me be healthy]