That Summer

[Reunion After Years Apart] [A Touch of Redemption] [He Secretly Loves Her]

Pure and Resilient Host x Devoted, Dashing Young Master with a Rogueish Charm

1.

In high school, Ji Tingsi fell for a girl. She was optimistic and radiant, like the warm winter sun.

He was always trailing after her like a little shadow, waiting at the crossroads early each morning and deliberately bumping into her at the school gate, all just so he could greet her with a "Good morning."

On the day they graduated, he slipped a letter into her desk, asking her to meet him after school that evening.

But that day, he waited until the school was completely empty and still never saw the girl.

After starting college, he asked all their classmates, but none of them knew where she had gone.

It wasn't until his fifth year managing the family business that he saw her on TV. By then, she had become a moderately well-known host in the industry.

2.

During a mountain-climbing trip, Jiang Lanyin met the legendary Fourth Young Master of the Ji family. Tall, refined, and gentle, he appeared at the foot of the mountain at the same time every day.

Before they parted, he lit a cigarette. Smoke drifted across his lazy, devilishly handsome face.

He looked at her with a hint of amusement. After a long pause, he asked:

"Would you be interested in becoming friends?"

He put extra emphasis on the last two words. Jiang Lanyin thought he was flirtatious and two-faced, and disliked him intensely.

She turned him down on the spot: "Sorry, I don't accept unspoken rules."

They met again when Jiang Lanyin helped a friend out of a tight spot.

From beneath the runway, the man's gaze was burning and tender, fixed on her for a long time.

After the show, he followed her to the dressing room and asked again:

"Are you short on money, Host Jiang? Taking on all these odd jobs."

She lifted her chin and met his amused gaze. "Very short."

Later, the Fourth Young Master of the Ji family paid a hefty sum to jump the queue and sign up for a relationship interview program, claiming he couldn't move on from his troubles.

On camera, she kept a professional smile as she listened to him finish telling the story of his unrequited love of many years. Then, without changing expression, she asked:

"You're the future heir to the Ji family, and you've even been named one of Ning City's most influential people. How could any girl turn you down?"

Ji Tingsi's eyes curved slightly. His secret crush was unmistakable in his reply:

"Exactly. Why did she turn me down?"

Content warnings:

One-on-one romance, both leads are sexually inexperienced.

For other content warnings, see the author's note in Chapter One.

Revised on January 29, 2023. Screenshot saved.

Theme: Rising against the tide