My Golden Tangerine

[Writing is hard. Thank you for supporting the official release.]

[The full story is complete and has been revised. I am not responsible for plot differences in pirated copies.]

Blurb:

(School arc)

(Roguish, scheming guy x clear-headed, well-behaved girl)

1.

The three years of high school were chaotic and turbulent.

The small, dim golden tangerine watched Liang Shijing, the center of everyone's attention, take the flag-raising platform time and again and read speech after speech. Everyone looked at him, but his eyes never settled on anyone.

At the graduation dinner,

her deskmate egged her on to confess, but in the end she didn't even get a glance from Liang Shijing. His voice was cold, his expression hidden beneath a black baseball cap. He simply cut her off with one sentence:

"You're in the way."

2.

A chance encounter at university brought them together again.

Jin Ju stayed clear-headed as Liang Shijing acted ambiguously toward her and pressed closer at every turn.

Then, at his birthday party, she accepted his confession.

And on Valentine's Day, she broke up with him.

I'll fall into the trap you set for me, but only once.

But later, everyone knew.

The one who had willingly stepped into the trap never looked back, while the one who set it in the first place could never find his way out.

(City arc)

(Business tycoon x tattoo artist)

1.

When they met again, the well-behaved girl had become a famous tattoo artist, while Liang Shijing was still the darling of the heavens, constantly appearing in entertainment headlines as actresses and socialites sent him flirtatious glances.

But in the media's photos, a ring gleamed on his left ring finger, and he was never seen with a female companion.

No one knew that the man who was always calm and composed in public had lost control backstage at a show they were both on, all because she said they were "strangers." With a cold expression, he pinned her in front of him and demanded through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot:

"Strangers? Dare to say that again?"

2.

Everyone said the young heir of Ennan Group was ascetic and aloof, despite being so young. His claim that his heart belonged to someone, true or not, had broken the hearts of countless beautiful women.

Only Liang Shijing knew how recklessly he had played with other people's affections when he was young, and how deeply he had hurt the girl he loved most.

After that, his wedding ring had no one to wear it, and his heart had no one to belong to.

*

"It was only a love-struck fall into ruin, followed by waking up."

"Oranges aren't the only fruit, but you're my one and only golden tangerine."

*

Title inspired by Sunset Rollercoaster's My Jinji.

"Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit" by Jeanette Winterson

*Happy ending / both leads have no prior sexual experience / school + city

*From secret crush to love / healing each other / the chase after the breakup

*No romance before adulthood

*See the end of Chapter 1 for content warnings

*All professional knowledge in this story comes from the internet and the author's personal musings

Theme: Love and freedom