1)
In a damp, muddy alley, the world turned upside down.
The first time Jiang Yuhuai met Xu Du, he was lying in a faint pool of blood.
The youth clutched his arm. Dim light fell on him, and his dark eyes were fierce, but when he saw her, the coldness in them vanished.
His colorless lips moved as he rasped, "Come here. Help me call the police."
Jiang Yuhuai stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding violently.
2)
The height of summer stoked every emotion.
Beneath Jiang Yuhuai's well-behaved exterior lay a rebellious heart.
Proud and unruly, Xu Du was like a demon urging desire to grow, able to draw her gaze with ease.
No one would ever think they had anything to do with each other.
Only sometimes, in a shadowy corner of the school track, the youth would lean against a thick tree trunk and gently pull her toward him.
His tone was teasing. "You came all this way, and you're still carrying a book to pretend you're studying?"
3)
Summer's final notes gradually faded amid the cicadas' cries. The rainy season was like a dream: once the skies cleared, nothing remained.
Under pressure, Jiang Yuhuai left without saying goodbye to anyone and set off alone to study in the north.
When they met again, it was still on a damp, muddy night.
Her breathing was labored. A cold white wall stood behind her, and the man before her no longer hid the desire he had felt all those years ago. His large hand moved upward from below, finally coming to rest at the nape of her neck.
She trembled as she wrapped her arms around his back. "Xu Du."
"Jiang Yuhuai, why didn't you just disappear for good?" He caressed her soft flesh and murmured, "Didn't you want to cast me aside, just like you left your past behind?"
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Reading guide:
* School life + city life
* No intimate scenes before adulthood (important!)
-Blurb screenshot dated 2024.1.30
Theme: We all grow among thorns
