When the Grapes Are Ripe

Zhou Zhichuan was a star at school, thanks to his striking looks and consistently excellent grades. Talking about him with Jiang Weiying, her friend couldn't help exclaiming, "How many people at our school must have a crush on him!" Jiang Weiying smiled and gently disagreed. "That's not a crush. People are just appreciating a beautiful face. Everyone has their own number one in their heart." Sitting in front of Jiang Weiying, Zhou Zhichuan wore a casual smile as he listened to her words. Jiang Weiying never expected that Zhou Zhichuan would become her number one forever. * At the start of the new semester, Zhou Zhichuan got a very interesting girl sitting behind him. Her name was Jiang Weiying. She was short, with a baby face, but she always knew how to say things that made everyone burst out laughing. Zhou Zhichuan found himself smiling much more often around her. Later, the homeroom teacher told the class to choose their own seats according to their exam rankings. Zhou Zhichuan and Jiang Weiying happened to rank right next to each other. That afternoon, the boy propped his head up with one hand and raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey, want to sit with me?" From then on, Jiang Weiying always held a place in Zhou Zhichuan's heart. * Unfortunately, they eventually went their separate ways, and it took years for them to meet again. Time had changed everything. Jiang Weiying had learned to keep her feelings to herself. One evening, after a blind date had driven her home, she saw Zhou Zhichuan standing in the shadows. Zhou Zhichuan called to her in a hoarse voice, "Xiaoman." Jiang Weiying tilted her head and smiled playfully, just like before. "He's pursuing me, you know." "What, are you going to pursue me too?" * Mutual secret crushes Reunited after years apart School romance first, then city life A witty, hilarious, sweet girl × a cocky, roguish, yet charmingly self-assured heartthrob The school portion features a fairly realistic ensemble cast The title was inspired by Eason Chan's song "When the Grapes Are Ripe" 2022.10.15 New novel currently updating: A Summer When Everything Flourished Sheng Chi and Chang Ning were next-door neighbors for seventeen years, and the childhood friends everyone knew them to be. Whenever they ran into other neighbors in their complex, those neighbors loved to tease them about the mischief they'd gotten up to as kids. "But what I remember best is the year little Chi set off firecrackers and blew up the fish pond. The little fish went flying everywhere." Whenever that happened, Sheng Chi would laugh awkwardly. No one knew that Chang Ning had set off the firecrackers that year. So scenes like this became a regular occurrence: "Chang Ning, buy me a bottle of water, will you?" "No." "Who took the blame for you when you were seven and said I blew up the fish pond?" "Fine, fine." "Chang Ning, can I come over for dinner today?" "No." "Who took the blame for you when you were seven..." "All right, come over." "Chang Ning, will you be my girlfriend?" Chang Ning didn't answer right away this time. She just stared at Sheng Chi. Feeling a little flustered under her gaze, Sheng Chi started again. "Who took the blame for you when you were seven..." Before he could finish, Chang Ning yelled, "Is that any way to confess to someone?!" A sharp-tongued, fatherly childhood friend × a clever, quick-witted childhood sweetheart Theme: Growing up